


Black Frost

by Justeen_96



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Gifted (TV 2017), X-Men - All Media Types
Genre: Asian Character(s), F/M, Fluff and Angst, Ice Powers, Marvel Universe, Mutant Powers, Mutants, Superpowers, Thunderbird - Freeform, X-Men References, eclipse - Freeform, polaris - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 28
Words: 59,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25584064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Justeen_96/pseuds/Justeen_96
Summary: For years she's been called, The White Haired Witch of the North. She was thought to be a legend, a myth. Nobody could survive out in that frozen landscape, nobody except a girl with cryokenisis and the overwhelming need to isolate herself from the rest of the world. When scientists finally capture the "white haired witch" they realize she's the famed Akira Lim who plunged Japan into seven year long winter at only six and half years old. Now that the American government has her, they don't plan on letting her go. But the Mutant Underground has other things in mind.But with powers so volatile and a secret Akira refuses to divulge, John Proudstar has his work cut out for him if he plans on breaking through her ice covered heart.
Relationships: John Proudstar & Original Female Character(s), John Proudstar/Original Character(s), Lorna Dane & Marcos Diaz
Kudos: 11





	1. White Haired Witch

She wasn't real. She couldn't be real. But there she stood, arms raised to the sky, creating a whirlwind of a blizzard around the team of scientists. She was wearing a knit hat and a large puffy sweater as well as large parka pants, all white. Everything was white. From her long following hair, to her clothes.

"We're all seeing this right?" Dr. Kramer asked his companions as he looked back through his binoculars at the wild looking girl.

"Yes."

"Uh- huh." His teammates replied or they said nothing at all as they started at the girl nearly fifty feet from them.

"She's the one that created this un-meltable ice shelf. The one creating snowstorms so big they reach Greenland. She's a mutant." Dr. Kramer murmured as the snow continued to fall down around them.

"I knew it couldn't be a natural phenomenon but I never thought..." Dr. Dormer stopped and turned to Dr. Kramer. "What are we going to do?"

"Nothing. She may be a mutant but she's not hurting anyone or anything. She's helping the polar ice cap. We should just leave her alone."

"Are you crazy!" Steven shouted. The rest of the team hushed him, not that the girl could hear over the storm she was creating. "Do you know who she is?" He demanded in a lower voice.

"No." Dr. Dormer said. The rest of the group all shook their heads no. 

" _That_ is Akira Lim. She was the girl who froze Japan at just six years old."

"The seven year freeze of Japan?" Dr. Kramer asked, bewildered. Steven was just an assistant and much younger than the rest of the research team. How did he remember the deep freeze of Japan?

"Yes, that's her. The vile _mutant_." Steven said, venom in his voice an icy glare in his eyes.

"How can you be sure?" Dr. Kramer asked. "That was 17 years ago. Nobody has seen the girl since her and her family fled the island."

"What other mutant do you know that has white hair and cryokenisis?" Steven demanded. "You know what happened in China right?" Of course they knew. Ten years ago, it was all the news could focus on, finding Akira Lim and punishing her for what she did. "She must have fled to Russia, then Europe before finally settling here, where no one would ever find her."

"Regardless of what she's done, she's clearly saving the tundra. The ice has been replenished tenfold and the thickness is remarkable for this day and age and..." Lynn was saying, trying to explain why she felt the girl should simply be left alone. She wasn't hurting anybody anymore.

"And she's dangerous." Steven insisted. "If she froze an _entire_ island at 6 years old. What do you think she's capable of now?" The scientists were quiet.

"Are you telling me that you'd rather have the girl who is fighting against global warming locked up simply because of something she did ten years ago?" Dr. Kramer asked.

"Yes. A mutant like her doesn't deserve to live." The storm was dying down. The group of scientists all ducked farther behind the snowbank as they heard a large peal of laughter.

It was coming from the _White Haired Witch_. "You like that girl?" She said, her voice echoing across the silent landscape. A large roar was heard and suddenly the group realized that a large polar bear was next to the Witch, lying in the fresh snow she had created. The Witch laughed again. "Come on Yuki. Let's go back home huh? I think that's enough snowfall for today." The polar bear roared again, rolled around a couple times and then started to rush at the Witch. The group gasped.

"She'll be killed." Lynn whisper, her blood running cold. 

"Good." Steven said. Lynn shivered at the harshness in his voice. But when the polar bear tackled the Witch to the ground, instead of terrified screams, more laughter ensued.

"Okay! Okay! We'll do some ice fishing before we head back is that what you want?" The polar bear lifted it's head and let out a pleased roar. The Witch stood and wrapped her arms around the bears neck, hugging it tightly. "Alright then Yuki. Let's go towards the eastern ice hole. We haven't gone there in a while have we?" Her voice faded as she and the bear continued to walk away.

"That was incredible." Lynn whispered. "Polar bears are often wary of humans but the two of them..."

"Who cares." Steven interrupted. Lynn frowned at him. "I'm calling Sentinel Services when we get back to camp and there's nothing any of you can do to stop me." Dr. Kramer frowned, staring out across at the White Haired Witch as she slowly blended in with her surroundings. 


	2. Prison Break

"We have to figure out who they're transporting." John said as Diana continued to run through all of the data she had been collecting about the unknown mutant being shuffled out of D.C, into Atlanta and then out of the country.

"I'm trying." She grumbled. "But it's not like they're using code or anything. They're just not saying who it is or what they can do. They're keeping it very hush hush for some reason." She said, scrolling through layers of green code, the numbers flashing quickly in front of her eyes.

"Something _that_ secret has to be someone important right?" Marcos asked, pacing back and forth behind Diana's chair. "It couldn't be..." He paused.

"One of the X-Men?" John finished for him. Marcos shrugged.

"I didn't want to say it but yeah. What if they captured one of them and don't want word getting out in case someone tries to break them free?"

"The X-Men aren't people who just get caught." Lorna argued. "It has to be someone else." She grit her teeth. "It could be someone from the Brotherhood." She murmured. John sighed and looked towards Riley who was still leaning up against the wall by the door.

"What's the probability that it's an X-Man versus someone from the Brotherhood?" He asked Riley.

"An X-men has a 26.3% and someone from the Brotherhood has even less." The knowledge of probability was a weird mutation to have but nobody was complaining. Riley's intel certainly came in handy when it came time to rescue people or help shuttle them across the border. He could give an accurate probability of things that could happen in every situation and it saved the Underground's skin more than a couple of times.

"How much less?" Lorna pressured.

"15.8%" Riley said.

"Well then there's a 42.1% chance that it's someone that we would know and the government doesn't want to get the word out."

"Not necessarily." Riley interrupted Lorna. "There's actually a 56.3% chance that it's simply a really powerful mutant we don't know about. If word got out that they were moving someone as strong as her through city streets, there would be rioting."

"Her. You said her." Marcos said. Riley nodded, running one hand through his curly hair.

"It's a girl. I'm 100% sure of that." Marcos whistled.

"You're never really a hundred percent on anything. Are you sure?" Riley nodded.

"100% positive." John pursed his lips and looked back to Diana who was still diligently shifting through information on the computer.

"Anything?" He asked her.

"I'm sorry John but that's all the info I have. She, if she really is a she, is going to arrive here in Atlanta in just a few hours and then in a day or two, she'll be gone." John bit down on his bottom lip and looked back to Riley.

"What's the probability that we rescue her and get back here alive?" He asked.

"Who are you taking with you?" Riley asked. John looked to Marcos who nodded and then he looked to Lorna who just sighed. "Well if Lorna isn't going, the probability drops to 10.2% chance you and Marcos get back here in one piece with the girl."

"What about if she goes?" Marcos asked. Riley smirked a little.

"66.6% and I'm not joking." He said with a grin. Marcos looked to Lorna who threw her hands in the air and stood up.

"Fine you idiot's I'll go, but only so you won't fail." John turned back to Diana.

"Keep me updated the next couple of hours okay. I feel like we're going in blind at the moment." Diana nodded as the rest of them began to head out of the room, leaving her with her mass of computers and ability to shift through hundreds of thousands of binary code.

"If you grab her while they're transporting her to the airport there's a 72.4% chance you'll be able to rescue her with minimal trouble." Riley continued as they headed downstairs to plan out the prison break. "But there's also a 33.8% chance that she won't be happy to see you three." The three friends frowned at that. Who would get mad about being rescued?

"What's the probability that she's not a dangerous criminal? I don't want to break her out of prison for no damn reason." Lorna said, already feeling uneasy.

"49.5%" Riley said before heading down a different hallway, leaving the planning to the Underground's leaders.

"Oh great." Loran grumbled. "Your new girlfriend is going to be a stone cold killer John." John gave her a funny look.

"She's not my girlfriend and we don't even know if she really is a girl or not." John said.

"You were the one pushing so hard to figure out who it is they're moving out of the country so quickly." Marcos pointed out. "And the one who asked Diana to continue looking for any information about her."

"We help people, that's our job and aren't you a tiny bit curious to see who it is Sentinel services wants to keep hidden?" Lorna pursed her lips, not wanting to tell John that he was right. She was _really_ curious. "There's still a 26.3% chance that it's a member of the X-Men. That's still a pretty big number and I don't want to take any chances."

"Alright John but if this blows up in our faces..." Lorna said with a shake of her head.

"It won't. Trust me."

* * *

It was the day of the **prison break** and John, Marcos, and Lorna still had very little information on who it was that was being transported. They had nearly every other detail under the sun though. The mutant arrived in Atlanta at exactly 6:18 PM yesterday evening. She was scheduled to be moved again the following afternoon 1:30PM. There were going to be three diversion trucks leaving the building at the same time as the real one, to throw off anybody who might catch wind of the move. All transports were scheduled to meet at the military operated air field in time for a 3:00PM departure to Japan.

"Japan? Why Japan?" John had asked.

"Maybe the rumors I've read about are true." Diana murmured. "Maybe the government really is creating their own mutants to fight us or fight in their wars." John grit his teeth. He knew what it was like first hand to fight for a country that didn't respect you. "Either way, you need to figure out which truck she's in before you try to attack any of them. Once they catch wind, they're not going to make rescuing her easy on you three."

"Riley!" John shouted, his voice echoing slightly throughout the building.

"What asshole?" Riley shouted back, already tromping out of his room and own the stairs to where they all were, standing in the front lobby.

"Probability of which truck she'll be in. There's going to be four of them."

"58.1% chance she'll be in the middle truck on the left." Riley said.

"The left if we're facing it head on or the left if we're looking at it's tail end?" Lorna asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You'll be facing the front. There's a 80.6% chance you'll be parked in an alley of an abandoned building across from the prison." He started to walk away again. "Make sure you get to her within a hundred mile radius of the airport because once you get there, you'll never be able to get her out of custody. There's a 92% chance of that."

"Ready then?" Marco asked, looking at his best friend and his girlfriend.

"She better be worth it John." Lorna said with a sigh, using her ability to pull the keys off the rack nearby and tossing them at Marcos who caught them easily. "Otherwise I'll be pissed."

* * *

"It's now or never boys. That airport was closer than we thought." Lorna said, already gearing up to lean out the window and rip the steel door off the transport truck.

"Wait until they pause at the intersection." John said. They were currently on some unknown back road of the city, slowly heading towards the airport. Marcos was keeping a good enough distance between them and the truck at first but now that it was just the two of them out on the road, it was a little harder to hide the fact that they were tailing the truck. "Now."

Lorna pulled her arm back forcefully and ripped the door off of it's hinges as she and John both jumped out of the car. Marcos quickly swung wide into a U-turn as Sentinel Services opened fire on Lorna and John. Lorna simply raised her hand, the bullets coming to a complete stop as they approached the vehicle.

"Call for backup! We're under attack." John could see the girl in the car. She was slumped over on the bench, wearing a bright orange prison jumpsuit. She had a Mutant inhibitor collar around her neck and what looked like shock bracelets around her wrists. On top of that, she was chained to the floor, the walls, and the ceiling. Lorna crushed the man's walkie talkie, reaching out with her powers and smashing the whole thing together as police sirens were heard in the distance.

John punched the solitary guard in the face, knocking him out cold as Lorna got to work on the color and the bracelets around the girls wrists. Her long white hair was falling over her face, and her skin looked drained of color, almost like she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in a really long time. "She looks dead." Lorna murmured, flipping some of her long hair out of the way. Her eyes were closed, eyelashes and eyebrows surprisingly black despite her long white hair and her lips were a faint blue color. "Holy shit she might be dead." Lorna ripped off the collar and pressed two fingers to the girls neck. She felt a slow steady heartbeat and sighed in relief.

"Hurry up!" Marcos shouted from the car, engine revving. "They'll be here soon." John ripped the last of the chains off of the ceiling and picked the girl up with ease as Lorna continued to undo the shackles. The chains fell in long trails behind them as they rushed back to the car. Lorna jumped into the passenger seat as John slid into the back, carefully leaning the comatose girl against the window and buckling her into the seat as Marcos sped off. Lorna pushed the line of cop cars out of the way with a flick of her wrist and their car drove right past them as the officers tried to regain their bearings.

"Is she awake?" Marco's asked, glancing back at John and the girl as he raced through a stop sign.

"No. They must have been keeping her on some pretty high sedatives." John murmured, pushing a lock of her hair behind her ear as he buckled his own seatbelt on. "She might be out for a while."

"Let's hope not. Those cops are gaining on this dinky little car." Lorna said, putting up her hand and stopping the fresh wave of bullets the officers were firing at them. "Her powers might be able to help us. Wake her up John."

"I don't think it'll be that..." John was going to say _easy_ but just before he did, the girl groaned and started to sit up. Akira heard the sound of sirens and through her blurred vision spied a handsome face with long hair hanging into his eyes, a chiseled jaw, and a determined expression. "Hey, take it easy." John said softly.

"How about you don't take it easy actually and help us." Lorna said. "If we don't shake these cops we'll lead then right back to the Underground."

"Or they'll just capture all of us and throw us into that transport van with you." Marcos said. Akira's heart rate picked up as she slowly regained her vision and her bearings.

"W-what? Who are you people?" She exclaimed, grabbing at her neck and her wrists. The shock bracelets were gone and so was her modified inhibitor. It was the only thing stopping her from loosing control of her powers. "No! No! You don't understand, let me out right now!" Akira grabbed the door handle and yanked but it didn't budge. This was only the third car she had been in in over 10 years. Had they suddenly changed how you open doors?

"Just calm down. We rescued you from Sentinel Services. We're heading to a safe place as soon as we shake off these guys." John said, touching her arm lightly. Akira cringed away and John let go.

"Don't touch me." She hissed.

"Calm down, we're the good guys. We're just trying to help you." John continued.

"You don't understand I need to go back! I need to go back right now!" Akira screamed at them. Her hands were already frosting up, her anxiety getting the best of her.

"You want to live like a prisoner the rest of your life?" Marcos demanded, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror. But Lorna noticed the drop in temperature.

"John.." She said worriedly. The door handle froze shut when Akira grabbed it again, the rest of the car began to follow suit. Lorna watched Akira's brown eyes turn icy blue and then, Akira screamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just right now going to quickly run over her powers. She has Cryokenisis (ability to telepathically manipulate water molecules and turn them into ice crystals), her skin mutated to allow her to withstand below freezing temperatures (she was living in the north pole after all), and her skin is also a lot thicker than normal human skin so it's not impenetrable to bullets (she can be shot point blank and be killed) but if she does get shot from a distance, it won't penetrate as far as it should.


	3. Flight Risk

"Holy shit!" Marcos exclaimed as the wheel of the car literally froze up on him.

"You need to calm down before you kill us." John said in a calm voice, in an effort to calm down not only Akira but everyone else in the car.

"The whole road is turning to ice!" Lorna shouted and it was true. It was spreading out around them, the ice was reaching in all directions. It was climbing up light posts, buildings, mailboxes and other cars on the road.

"I cant control it!" Akira wailed. John watched her irises flash brown and then blue and back again rapidly. "I've never been able to control it." She could feel herself beginning to cry. John put her hand on her shoulder and was instantly burned by the cold. "Don't! I could hurt you." Akira said, staring at his hand. It was already turning blue.

"I'm tougher than I look. Now listen to me, what's your name?" Akira paused. If she told them her name.. They would be afraid.

"Yuki." She spit out, using the only name she could think of at the moment. John smiled.

"Okay Yuki. I just want you to close your eyes and breath in through your nose and out through your mouth." Marcos was trying to use his ability to unfreeze the wheel while Lorna tried to levitate the entire car off of the road.

"Th-that won't..." Akira stuttered out.

"Trust me, okay?" John said, he took her hand and she squeezed it tightly. The frost was moving up his arm slowly. If he kept touching her, frostbite would set in. "In through your nose and out through your mouth." Akira decided to trust him, despite only knowing him for five minutes. Closing her eyes, she breathed in slowly and exhaled.

"John whatever you're going to do, hurry it up!" Lorna snapped at them. Terrified screams of people could be heard outside as well as metal crushing metal as cars skid into one another all around them.

"Now picture the ice melting." Akira scrunched up her nose, eyes still closed.

"That never..."

"Trust me." John repeated. "Keep breathing like that and just imagine ice slowly disappearing." Akira breathed in deeply and as she exhaled, John began to get some feeling back into his arm and his hand. "Just like that." He said, finally being able to feel Akira squeezing his hand back. "Picture the ice evaporating off of the car, the road." Akira ground her teeth.

"I can't..." She began, voice wavering.

"You can. I promise." John insisted. "If you can create it, you can undo it." Akira breathed in again, nodded and exhaled. The frost on the windshields melted. The ice covering the wheels and doors turned back to water vapor but the road behind them remained slick with ice. The buildings, cars and light posts were all still frosty. Lorna dropped the car back down onto the road and everyone jerked forward.

"Did it work?" Akira asked, letting go of John's hand and turning around. Outside though, the ice was still spreading to the trees, parked cars, and over the road, although a little slower now. "Oh god. It's going to..."

"Don't freak out." Lorna commanded. "And I'm sorry about this but..." As Akira turned back around in her seat, Lorna reached around and punched her in the face as hard as she could.

"Lorna!" John shouted as Akira fell back onto the seat, knocked out cold. "What the hell was that for!"

"Look." Marcos said. The ice had stopped. Snow was no longer beginning to fall.

"Riley was right. This mission would've been a failure if I hadn't come along." Lorna said, settling back into her seat. John sighed heavily and looked back at Akira. He brushed some of her hair out of her face and then settled back into his seat, keeping a close eye on her.

* * *

"She can't stay here." Lorna said, shaking her head as she passed her and Marcos' room.

"If not here then where Lorna?" John asked, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. "We can't just dump he somewhere and hope for the best. We rescued her. We need to help her."

"Were we even in the same car?" Lorna demanded, walking towards him. "She can't even control her powers like we all thought. She iced the roads, nearly froze your arm off and almost caused a snow storm in the middle of the summer. If I hadn't punched her in the face, she would have led the authorities straight to us. To our base." John sighed.

"I get that Lorna. You think I don't? She just needs help controlling her powers. That's what we do. We help people."

"I agree with him Lorna. If Yuki can get a grip on her powers then she wouldn't be all that bad." Marcos said, nodding to John. "And if anyone can help her get a grip it's John."

"I still think we should ship her straight to Greenland or the north pole or somewhere else." Lorna said, sitting down with a huff on the bed.

"We're not going to abandon her somewhere." John said, half rolling his eyes.

"She won't be alone." Lorna said dismissively. "She'll have polar bears to roam around with. Maybe she can stop global warming or something." John and Marcos sighed. "All I'm saying is that when she wakes up, she'll decide if she wants to stay or go to Canada or whatever."

"Canada. I choose Canada." The trio turned to find Akira behind them. She was still wearing her orange prison jumpsuit and the contrast between that and her white hair made her look almost less menacing than she did an hour or two ago. "Some guy told me you three were up here." Marcos nodded.

"Right yeah, how are you feeling Yuki?"

"Okay." She said lightly, glancing over at Lorna before looking down.

"Yeah, sorry for... Punching you in the face earlier." Akira shrugged.

"It's okay. I understand. At least you made it stop." She murmured. John licked his lips.

"Yuki." She glanced up at him, her brown eyes sad but thoughtful, like she was already planning her escape from the mutant underground.

"Are you sure about going to Canada. I can help you learn to control your powers a little better." Akira was already shaking her head no though.

"I don't belong here, around... Others." Akira said, eyes gliding over the three of them.

"We're not that bad Yuki, promise." Marcos said with an easygoing grin. Akira nearly smiled.

"That's not what I meant." She said with a sigh. "I shouldn't be here because.. Because I could kill someone." Akira paused and looked to John. "Is your.. Is your arm okay?" John looked down at it and nodded.

"I heal pretty quickly. My name's John by the way." He held out his hand for her to shake and Akira took it delicately. Her hand wasn't cold like John expected. In fact, she felt kind of warm. "That's Lorna and Marcos we run this section of the Mutant Underground." Akira arched an eyebrow at him as she let go of his hand.

"What's the Mutant Underground?"

"You've never heard of us?" Marcos asked, curious. Akira shook her head.

"I've been... Isolated for the past ten years." She admitted.

"In prison?" Lorna asked.

"No, no. I've only been in prison for about a week now. I was isolated up in..." Akira paused. She didn't want to tell them. It was almost embarrassing.

"Canada?" John prompted. Akira shook her head.

"The North Pole actually. I've been living there for the past ten years." Akira finally said, breathing out slowly.

"What? The North Pole?" Lorna said, amazed. She had joked about sending Akira back there but she didn't think that's where she had actually been up until recently.

"Yeah I... It's the only place where my powers can't hurt anyone. The polar bears actually like it when I freak out and... Malfunction." Akira said, running one hand through her hair, blushing a little.

"You're not malfunctioning Yuki." John said. Akira almost cringed. She wished she hadn't lied to them about her name but there was no turning back now. "You just haven't figured out the right way to control your x-gene." Akira shook her head, biting down on her bottom lip.

"If I haven't figured it out in the past ten years by myself... Then I don't think I'll ever learn John." She said softly.

"You seem to be doing alright right now." Marcos pointed out. Akira shrugged.

"I feel fine right now. Usually my powers manifest when I'm too angry or scared or..."

"Yeah we know, all of our powers do that Kira. It's an emotional response." Lorna said.

"I know, I know but you don't get it." Akira insisted. "Sometimes when I'm happy I can make it snow. Or sometimes the food I'm eating will just freeze up in my hands. I even..." Akira laughs almost sarcastically. "I sneezed once in the North Pole and created a blizzard that lasted a month. I don't... I don't know what I'm doing. Things just happen and I can never control it or stop it or..." Her hands began to turn white with frost as the temperature on the room dropped.

"Breathe Yuki, just breathe." John said softly, touching her arm lightly. Akira took a deep breath in through her nose and exhaled slowly through her mouth. The room warmed slightly and the frost receded back to her palms and dissipated. "I can help you, train you. It's what I do with all the Mutants who come through these walls." Akira shook her head as John dropped his arm.

"No it's... It's better if I just go home, back to the North Pole. God, I can only imagine how much the ice has melted since I've been gone." Akira murmured. "I don't belong here. I could expose your base or hurt someone or..."

"Okay, okay." John said. "It's alright. We can take you to Canada at the very least. I don't know how we could get you to the North Pole but.." Akira held up her hand and he stopped.

"Get me into Canada and I'll do the rest."

"Alright then." Marcos said, clapping her hands together before beginning to head out of the room. "I'll get Don to work on some fake documents for you. Lorna can find you some clothes that you can wear in the meantime and I'll see to getting some supplies together for the trip." Akira nodded. Marcos patted her shoulder as he walked by and pulled back reflexively, her skin was so cold at the moment it felt like he had been burned.

"Sorry." Akira murmured. "How long until everything is ready?" Marcos paused in the doorway and glanced over at John who mouthed, _four days_.

"Four days max. Good fake documents take a while." Akira sighed and turned back around. Marcos gave John a _We'll discuss this later_ look.

"Thanks." Akira murmured.

"Not a problem." Marcos said, heading down the hallway towards the stairs. Lorna stood up from the bed.

"Come on, we should have some clothes that will fit you." Akira nodded and began to follow Lorna but John stepped towards her.

"Hey, I mean it. I do think I can help you okay? You're going to be here a while so... Maybe I could try to help you as much as I can." Akira pursed her lips but then nodded.

"Maybe. We'll see." She said softly.

"I promise i can help you." Akira paused in the doorframe .

"Maybe you can John but I still think I'm too much of a **flight risk**." Before John could say anything else she walked out of the room, trailing behind Lorna with a sigh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So everyone is going to call her Yuki but out of dialogue I'm going to still call her Akira okay? Just in case anyone is like ???? whats her name???


	4. I Promise

Akira walked slowly through the tall grass outside. She had barely been with the Mutant Underground for six hours and already she had accidentally froze the front staircase, caused a small freak hailstorm in town, and flash froze the indoor garden that Trevor had created using his powers. "Don't worry. I can still feel the plants underneath all the ice. I'll have them back to normal in a couple of hours." Trevor had said, smiling at her after Akira had apologized nearly fifty times. Nobody really seemed to mind how out of control her powers were and nobody really seemed afraid of her but Akira distanced herself from everyone anyways. It was better not to get too attached anyways. In four days, she would be back where she belonged.

Akira glanced up at the large building and sighed. This was the first time she had been around such a large collection of mutants and all of them seemed so happy and in control of their powers. Akira used to dream of a day where she would feel the same way about her own mutation but now she didn't see that kind of life for herself. There was no way she could ever be happy after all the harm and misery she had caused in her short lifetime.

"Hey what are you doing out here?" Akira turned to find John walking towards her. His dark hair was blowing back slightly in the wind and Akira found her eyes wandering over his tall frame before she turned her eyes back towards the large field and tried not to blush.

"Trying not to kill anymore plants or freeze anymore staircases." John smirked as he came to stand next to her.

"They know you can't help it Yuki." Akira crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.

"Yeah well, I better stay out here or something in case I try to make an igloo out of this place in my sleep." John rolled his eyes.

"You can't sleep out here. It gets cold at night." Akira looked up at him and arched an eyebrow.

"I've slept in the frozen tundra for ten years John. You think 50 degrees is cold to me?" He chuckled a little.

"Right, Sorry. How does that work by the way?" Akira shrugged.

"Part of my mutation I guess. Below freezing temperatures don't bother me. It's when it gets warm that kind of bugs me." She ran one hand through her hair thinking about the first time she actually experienced heat. She was eight years old and she felt like she was going to melt into a puddle on the floor. Her mother had to stick her into a bath of ice cold water to get her temperature back down. "I would swim under the ice at the North Pole. Breathing underwater isn't part of my ability but I would always try to see how cold was too cold for me and..." she shrugged. "Nothing. I kind of thought I wasn't going deep enough but if I did I would drown myself."

"What did the water feel like?"

"Like room temperature I guess. I don't really know what room temperature feels like though so I don't have an accurate enough description of it." John licked his lips, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"What were you doing up there, all alone?" Akira looked away from him and started to walk farther into the field, away from the house. John slowly followed her.

"Hiding I guess. It's the only place I felt that I could be myself. The only place I wouldn't hurt anyone or anything." Akira said, raising her palms out flat, an icy fog washed out of her and as she clenched her fists it slowly disappeared. "And someone had to save the polar bears right?" She asked, looking up at John with a grin. He laughed.

"You actually hung out with polar bears?" Akira laughed.

"Yeah there's a bear in particular that I named..." Akira paused, almost saying Yuki. "Snow." Akira said, imagining Yuki glaring outside of her cave, waiting for her to come out. Yuki hasn't been there when she had been taken, which Akira was glad for, but Yuki also wouldn't know where she had gone.

"You named a polar bear Snow?" Akira nodded. This wasn't a lie either. Yuki means snow.

"Yeah I miss her. She won't know what's happened to me. She wasn't there when Sentinal services took me."

"How did they find you?" Anita laughed bitterly.

"I've been protecting the North Pole from global warming for 10 years, someone was bound to notice that the ice was thicker, winter was longer, the ice wasn't melting... They caught me because a group of scientists thought that putting a mutant in jail was more important than saving the planet." John didn't know what to say except for,

"I'm sorry." Akira shrugged. 

"I just need to go back there. I want to go home." They were quiet and too prevent herself from crying, Akira turned fully to John and tried to smile, looking back at the building they were living in.

"What is this place anyways?" Akira said, beginning to walk back through the tall grass and shrubbery with John. Akira wasn't used to so much vegetation. It was making her feel itchy even though she was wearing pants and a sweater so the brush wouldn't touch her.

"It's an old abandoned Mutant Psychiatric hospital." Akira scoffed.

"Seriously? You chose _this_ place to build your cell of the Mutant Underground?" She asked, glancing up at the vine covered walls.

"It's better than most places actually. Structurally is't pretty sound and..."

"I mean..." The two of them paused, staring out at the building together. A lot of the windows were blown in and mostly covered with pieces of plywood now, so people wouldn't see movement inside if they passed by. The front steps were crumbling. Old equipment, and other appliances still laid abandoned outside. Akira shuddered to think about what had happened to the mutants in this place. "Mutants were probably tortured here, killed here. Why make this haunted place your safe haven. It was never safe for us before."

"That's why I chose it. People would never believe that mutants would actually want to come back here after everything that happened inside these walls." Akira had to admit, it was a good idea. "Why don't you come back inside. We're going to be eating soon and you can meet the rest of the house." Akira chewed on the inside of her cheek nervously. Snow began to lightly fall down around her. John laughed and waved the small, brewing storm cloud over her head away.

"Maybe I shouldn't." Akira said feeling the little snowflakes touch her cheeks and hair as John waved the cloud away. "I'm not good at social interaction John. I've only talked to polar bears and other arctic animals for over ten years."

"You're doing okay with me." John said with a smile.

"Isn't your superhero name Thunderbird? That's an animal." John smirked.

"You'll be fine, I promise. You can sit next to me." Akira sighed and the two of them began to head back inside.

"You're making a lot of promises to me John. I hope you mean to keep all of them."

"I do." John said opening the back door for the building for her. " **I promise**."

* * *

"So you just gave up? You didn't even try to put up a fight?" Mark asked, eyes flashing gold as he stared at Akira. Mark's x-gene allowed him to turn things he touched into solid gold. It was useful when the Underground needed money but a little less useful Mark said, when he first found out about it.

"Everything I tried to eat, solid gold. I couldn't even brush up against a wall without turning it to gold." Akira had laughed at Mark's anecdotes but his power was nothing compared to hers. Unlike her, Mark hadn't accidentally killed people by touching them. Akira shrugged.

"What should I have done? Fight them? They were the first people I've seen in over ten years and they caught me by surprise." Akira said, pushing her salad around on her plate. It consisted of limp lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and not much else. But she was glad to eat it. She hadn't had a tomato in around three years. Fresh fruit and vegetables wasn't an easy thing to steal and bring back to the North Pole. She mostly stuck to canned foods and things rich in proteins and vitamins. She couldn't just live off a fish diet like the polar bears.

"They were in your home territory. You could've fought them off, created a raging blizzard or incased yourself in a frozen ball and let them try and break through." Akira shrugged.

"I didn't want to hurt someone." She murmured. The small group that had gathered around Akira to hear her story was quiet.

"Well, I still think your powers are badass." Trinity said. "Way cooler than mine." She said with a flick of her wrist, turning her one plate of salad into three. Trinity always joked that she was aptly named because when her x-gene revealed itself, she found that she had the ability to multiply objects, but only as high as three. She could simply multiply the same object over and over but she didn't see much use for it. _Besides fixing world hunger what good were her powers?_ That's what Trinity always thought. Trinity waved her hand again and the three plates became one. She picked it back up again and continued to eat.

"Do you want to switch? I'd take multiplication over cryokenisis." Akira said, making a couple people laugh. Akira glanced over at John who was smirking, staring at her. Akira blushed and looked away.

"Anyways, it's not even that cool. I can't even undo most of the damage I cause." Akira said, gesturing towards the staircase that was still melting behind them.

"Hey, that was cool. I'm always saying we need to make this place more fun by installing a slide or something but these guys always tell me no." Santiago says, nodding to John.

"Slides aren't in the budget." John says. Santiago rolls his eyes.

"Anyways, you nearly gave us a slide. If it wasn't so pointy and scary looking I'm sure I could side down it." Akira bit her bottom lip and glanced at the staircase and then over at John. She could swear he was reading her mind right now. Standing, Akira handed her plate to Santiago who took it without question, everyone's eyes following her as she went to stand in front of the staircase again. Taking a deep breath, Akira aimed one hand out at the staircase. The ice immediately began to solidify and Akira tried to concentrate on making it as smooth and flat as possible. Before long, a perfectly formed slide made of ice covered the staircase. Santiago stood up and whooped loudly. "Hell yeah Yuki! That's what I'm talking about." He said, clapping her on the back to congratulate her. He shoved their plates of food into her hands before he took one large leap, landing at the top of the staircase.

"You're going to get cold if you slide down it just like that." Daya called out to him.

"I don't care! You have no idea how long I've wanted a slide in this place." Santiago cried out happily as everyone else began to rub their arms from the cold. Santiago sat down on the edge of stairs and then pushed off. But since the staircase wasn't that tall and the ice too slippery, he started to go down at it at a much faster rate than anticipated, heading straight for Akira and the rest of the mutants sitting on the floor. "Look out!" Santiago said with a laugh. Everyone scrambled out of the way but Akira put her hand out and created a small snowbank just in front of them that Santiago crashed into with a laugh. "Holy shit! That's cold."

"Sorry." Akira said worriedly but Santiago just laughed, brushing his pants off as he stood up.

"Don't be sorry! This is cool as hell. I've never even _been_ in the snow before." Santiago said, making a small snow ball and throwing it right at Daya.

"Hey!" She shouted. Daya teleported right behind Santiago and shoved him back into the snow. He rolled over and stared up at her with a devilish smirk.

"Oh it's on Flicker!" He shouted. Before John or Akira could stop them, there were a dozen mutants engaged in a snowball fight in the middle of the large entrance room of the building, all of them using their powers to get the upper hand on each other. Laughter rang out through the building and more and more people came to join in or watch the fight.

"Yuki! We need more snow!" Santiago shouted as Hunter lobbed a giant snowball at his back using his telekinesis. Akira looked to John who was now standing next to her, arms crossed over his chest. He shrugged.

"They're having fun. There hasn't been this much laughter in here in a really long time Yuki." Akira smiled to herself a little and with a small wave of her hand, she created three more piles of snow for everyone. "You know, if you stay.." John said, watching everyone have fun. "I think it would really help you learn to control your powers." Akira shook her head. This was just a fluke. Nothing more. She was dangerous and the longer she stayed with the Mutant Underground, the easier it would be for them to realize this.


	5. It's Time

"Hey, **it's time**." Akira glanced up at John and really wished he would stop wearing tank tops that showed off his muscles and putting his hair up in a too nice bun that even she couldn't get right with her own hair. He was the first cute guy she had seen in a very long time and she hated to admit that she found him attractive. It only made leaving a _little_ bit harder. There weren't exactly any cute guys roaming the arctic tundra.

"Cool." Akira said, standing and running her hands through her hair, icing back her bangs. She had grown accustomed, in the Arctic, to wearing ice in her hair as a way to pull it back away from her face. It was a little easier than stealing hair ties. Lorna kept comparing Akira to some girl named Elsa whenever she did this but Akira didn't know who Elsa was or what Lorna meant when she said Akira reminded her of Elsa. They said they'd never met another girl with cryokinesis before but every time Akira asked who Elsa was, everyone just smirked, like they were all in on some joke that Akira wasn't a part of.

John watched as Akira grabbed up her bag full of essentials. Inside Akira had packed chocolate to last her a couple of months if she was careful, new clothes to replace the ones that had been taken from her, a fake ID and other fake documents to get across the border and, a stuffed bear that one of the younger mutants had given her just before she had left the other day with her family. 

Akira had had a bad episode with her powers. She had frozen a better portion of the kitchen when she had gone in there to help Daya prepare food for lunch. Daya tried to talk her down, get her to unfreeze everything but Akira panicked and ran outside, flash freezing all the plants around her. Dropping to the ground, Akira pressed her hands into the dirt and had tried to will herself to stop, stop before she hurt someone but the ice spread out from her hands and into the ground.

"Yuki!" John shouted. She could hear him coming towards her but he couldn't. She didn't want to hurt him.

"Stop!" she shouted, throwing out her hand behind her. There were several gasps and Akira didn't have to look back to know she had accidentally created a barrier of frozen spires around her. All of them pointing out at anyone who tried to get near. "Just calm down." Akira whispered to herself. "Calm down. Just breathe."

"Yuki it's okay." John called out while he quietly ushered everyone to go back inside. "Just breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth like we talked about." Akira's hands shook. The sharp icicle spire grew larger. "In through your nose and out through your mouth." John said again. Akira could swear she was right behind him but that didn't make sense. How had he gotten past her barrier. 

When she had finally calmed down enough, she was able to shrink the icicles a little so she could get out of the little barrier she made for herself but she couldn't make them disappear altogether and the kitchen she wasn't even able to help at all. Marcos had to end up using his ability to melt most of the ice. As Akira sat in her room, head in her hands, there was a knock at the door that she thought would be John but when she looked up, a small girl stood there. 

Akira had seen her around before. Her mutation gave her cat like eyes, a tail, and according to Lorna cat like abilities. "Hello." The girl said lightly. She was clutching a stuffed white bear to her chest. 

"Hi." Akira said softly, not knowing what else to say. She couldn't just tell the girl to go away. That might hurt her feelings. 

"You're the girl who froze the kitchen right?" Akira nodded and swallowed hard.

"Yes, so maybe you shouldn't be in here. I can't control my powers." Akira murmured. The girl just stepped further into the room though.

"My names Maya." She said softly. "I wanted to give you this." She held her stuffed bear out to Akira and she stared back at the girl bewildered.

"What? Why? I can't take your toy from you." Akira said.

"Momma gave me Winter when I first found out about my powers. I was scared and I couldn't control my claws." She said, holding up her hand. Akira watched the girls nails turn sharp and deadly before retracting back to their normal shape. "She said that If I ever got scared to just hold Winter and he'll make me feel better." Maya held the bear out to her again. "I think you need him more than me now." Akira laughed a little, tears falling from her eyes. 

"Why is he named Winter?" She asked with a smile, taking him from Maya's arms. Maya grinned.

"Because he's white and your hair is white so I think you two are perfect for each other!" Maya said with a grin, her tail flicking behind her happily as she reached up and touched Akira's hair. Akira laughed and thanked Maya.

"I'll keep him safe." She said softly.

"I know you will and when you don't need him anymore, you can give him to someone else." Maya said with a smile before saying goodbye and leaving Akira's room. Maya and her family had left for Mexico the other day and Akira made sure to say goodbye and thank the little girl one last time. Last night, she had clung to the bear all night long. She was twenty-two years old and sleeping with a teddy bear. 

"I can't wait to go home." Akira told John with a sigh as the two of them headed out of her room and down the corridor. 

"Snow will be glad to see you." Akira gave John a funny look. "Your polar bear friend?" Akira blushed.

"Oh right, yeah. Sorry. I thought you were saying the snow would be happy to see me and I just..." Akira shook her head and John laughed. 

"The arctic will probably be happy you're back too." Akira smiled at him. 

"Is it just going to be the two of us?" Akira asked as they passed Mark in the hallway who waved a goodbye. Akira smiled and waved back.

"Yeah, if that's okay. This is going to be a two day journey, at least, to Quebec, unless you want to drive straight for nearly 24 hours." Akira shook her head. 

"No, I don't want to do that to you. I can't drive otherwise I would say yes but... We should stop somewhere for the night." Akira said even though the idea scared her. Her and John? Alone for two days? And a night? They wouldn't sleep in the same hotel room... Would they?

"Alright well, I don't know who you want to say goodbye to." John said as they paused in the entrance room. Akira looked at the secretary desk, the still wet staircase from her slide, and listened to the sound of Santiago, Diana and several other people laughing in the adjoining room. John had told her he thought it was supposed to be a meeting room, if families of mutants wanted to see any of the patients but the room was virtually untouched when they found the building. Akira doubted that anyone who forced their family members into a place like this would actually want to visit them.

"Are Lorna and Marcos around?" John nodded and pointed towards the kitchen. Akira slowly made her way over. She could hear of them arguing over something in low voices but they stopped as soon as she appeared. "Hey I just wanted to say... Bye." Akira said lightly. Marcos smiled at her and Lorna nodded.

"It was great to meet you Yuki. We were hoping you would stay but..." Marcos was saying but Akira shook her head.

"It's better if I just go home." She held out her hand to Marcos who shook it.

"I know I said it was better if you were gone but..." Lorna paused. "It's been nice having you around. I've never actually seen snow either." Akira smiled and hugged Lorna, surprising her.

"It was nice to meet you both. I hope you won't but if you ever need me, you know where I am now." Marcos and Lorna nodded and with a final wave goodbye, Akira walked back to John. "Let's go."

* * *

"I actually haven't listened to the radio in a really long time." Akira said with a laugh turning the dial to find a station she liked.

"What did you used to listen to?" John asked, glancing over at her as he dropped one hand from the wheel. He watched her blush red. 

"Well, I was 13 the last time I listened to the radio so why don't you guess what a preteen girl would be into in the year 2009." John thought for a moment but ended up shrugged. "The Jonas Brothers." Akira admitted, red as a beet. John started to laugh. "They were a good band! _Burning_ _Up_ was big at that time and I wanted _so_ badly to go see them but... I would never have been able to be around that many people." 

"You know, they just got back together again." Akira gave him a funny look.

"The Jonas Brothers broke up?" 

"Yeah, twice."

"Twice!" Akira exclaimed. John laughed at her distress. "They can't break up! They're.... They're brothers." 

"Well they did." Akira slumped back into her seat. 

"Jesus. I missed the Jonas Brother's break up twice? What else has happened while I've been away." She murmured. Every time she snuck over to Greenland to steal food or other supplies, it had always been in the dead of night and she was never actively searching for news reports or anything on these outings. 

"I don't know what you missed in your home country but, America went to even worse shit when they elected Trump." Akira gave him a funny look.

"Trump? The shady business man from that TV Show?" John nodded.

"He practically made it illegal to be a mutant in this country. The Purifiers have more balls now because of it. They're actively searching out young mutants and killing them and their families all because he said that we're all murderers and rapists."

"That's _insane_." John nodded. 

"That's why it's hard for a lot of us to move around now. A lot of people's X-Gene's give them visible mutations." Akira's shoulders slumped. She didn't realize how bad it was. There were race wars when she was younger of course but she had hoped in her time away that the world would come to love and accept mutants. She guessed it was a far fetched dream though. 

"I'm sorry that's happening John." Akira said softly.

"It's okay Yuki. We're managing." Akira chewed on the inside of her lip. She wanted to tell John her real name before she left. But.. Now didn't seem like a good time. "This song is great." John murmured, turning up the volume of the radio. Akira half smiled at him and looked out at the road with a sigh.


	6. Detour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't mind me I just wanted to share this gif lol

That night, John and Akira stopped for the night at a motel in Virginia. The state was the halfway point of their trip to Quebec and Akira stayed in the car while he booked them a room. "It only has one bed but I don't need to sleep. I think I'd rather keep watch." John explained. His bag was thrown over his shoulder as he keyed into the room and Akira looked at him like he was crazy.

"Shut up. You're crazy. If anything I should take first watch. You've been driving all day. _You_ should get some rest."

"I'm fine." John said, putting his stuff down in a chair nearby.

"You're not but whatever liar." Akita said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. John smirked a little. "Stop being so noble and just go to bed or something." Akira said dismissively, standing up. "I'm going to take a shower and try not to freeze the pipes while I'm in there." John chuckled as Akira grabbed up her stuff and headed for the bathroom. When she exited, running one hand through her still wet hair, she found John passed out on the bed, leaning against the headboard. She smiled to herself, turned down the volume on the TV and curled up in the chair to wait out the night. 

* * *

Akira was startled awake when someone picked her up. "Don't ice me." John murmured. Akira looked up at him with wide startled eyes and he smiled softly, setting her down on the bed. "Sorry I fell asleep like that. I didn't mean to. I guess I was more tired than I thought." Akira nodded as he sat down next to her on the bed. She hadn't expected him to pick her up. Nobody had been that close to her since...

"It's okay. I don't mind. I told you to go to sleep. What time is it?" Akira asked, glancing around the room. It was still dark and John had turned off the TV. John glanced at his watch. 

"Almost four in the morning. How did you even fall asleep in that chair. It looks uncomfortable." Akira snorted, shaking her head.

"John, my bed in the Arctic is made out of snow and ice."

"No it isn't." John said, smiling.

"I'm being completely serious." Akira said with a laugh. "Though the laughing makes it seem like I'm not. Snow is comfortable, I swear, if it's the right consistency." John shrugged and stood.

"I'll take your word for it. Go back to sleep okay. I'll wake you around six. We'll get breakfast and then continue to Quebec." Akira nodded and scooted towards the pillows, dropping her head down on top of them as John went and glanced out the window. She didn't think she would be able to fall back asleep after having been so close to John like that but before she knew it, light was streaming through the window and Akira could hear John in the shower. 

With a yawn, Akira sat up and stretched out her arms over her head. The room felt warm. John was obviously taking a hot shower, why wouldn't he? He probably got an unwelcome surprise this morning when the ice cold water Akira had turned the knob to hit his skin. Feeling a little stifled, Akira stood and glanced outside. There wasn't anybody outside at the moment, probably too early, and even though Akira was only in her pajamas, she felt safe enough to step outside for a moment while she waited for John to get out of the bathroom.

Akira opened the door and stepped out, closing it behind her after she grabbed the keycard to get back in. The morning air was crisp and cool and the sun was just rising out in the distance. Akira let out a sigh as she looked out across the sprawling landscape. She had always wanted to go to America when she was younger and now that she was here, she couldn't wait to leave. Not that she really wanted to, she just knew she had to. She couldn't be around people. Despite being a passing Mutant, Akria knew her powers were too dangerous, too unpredictable. She needed to be isolated. 

"Yuki?" Akira heard John call out behind her. Akira glanced back at the door, stepped away from the walkways railing and opened the door. As she stepped into the room she was greeted by a wet, bare chested, towel wearing John.

"Oh." Akira said in surprise as she stared at the water dripping from his hair and running down his chest. 

"Oh hey.. Sorry I.." John said, running one hand through his hair. "I didn't know where you went. I heard the door close and got worried so I kind of just... Jumped out of the shower." 

Akira didn't mind in the slightest though as she stared at him. His hair still wet and sticking to his neck and face. The toned muscles of his chest and arms would make any girl weak in the knees and the towel he had wrapped around his waist hung low on his hips. 

"I uhhh... No it's fine. It's really fine." Akira said, turing away slowly, so red with embarrassment she felt like she might explode. "I just went to get some air. I forgot people like taking hot showers it felt kind of warm in here." Akira said with a nervous laugh, trying to hide how red her face was. John smiled a little.

"Yeah sorry Ice Princess. I hate cold showers, even in summer. I'll change and then you can have the bathroom." Akira glanced back at him out of the corner of her eye as he walked back into the bathroom. _God_ , even his back was hot. John closed the door behind him and Akira sat down on the bed, putting her hands over her face. 

_You can't stay here. You can't stay here. You can't stay here._ Akira repeated to herself over and over in her mind. But the image of John kept resurfacing leaving her cheeks pink.

* * *

"You know, I could've done this on my own." Akira said as she stretches out her legs in the passenger seat of John's car.

"Done what?" John asks.

"Gotten back to the North Pole." John smiles.

"Oh yeah? What would you have done?" John asked, shifting his hand on the wheel to look over at her. Akira shrugs. 

"Make my way to the ocean, build myself an iceberg and hop onto it." John started to laugh.

"Oh yeah, an iceberg on the shore of a beach. That wouldn't raise some red flags."

"Hey, by the time the police or Sentinel services pulled their heads out of their asses, I would be in Greenland, heading north."

"Where exactly did you live if not Greenland? You don't actually live out in the middle of the ocean do you?" Akira smiled at him devilishly. "No, stop. You do not."

"When I was 14 I created this giant ice shelf out in in arctic ocean. It took nearly the whole year but I eventually did it. I don't know how wide it is exactly but it is very deep. At least a mile or two long. I keep adding to it because it keeps melting. I've been expanding it ever since I finished it and I guess that's what drew scientists towards me. I kept making blizzards and snowstorms at odd times. It was a dumb move I guess but I just wanted somewhere to live where I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"It's not dumb." John said. Akira shrugged.

"It was nice out there. I built caves and mountains of ice and i made it snow constantly just for my own amusement. I wanted to see what I could and couldn't build out of ice you know?" John smiled.

"Like ice sculptures?" Akira blushed.

"They're not very good." John laughed. 

"I'm sure they look great Yuki." Akira smiled to herself as John's phone began to ring. "Can you see who that is." Akira picked it up and flipped it open, seeing Marcos' name on the screen.

"Should I answer it?" Akira asked, showing John his name. John frowned and nodded.

"Put the call volume as high as it will go." John said. Akira nodded, hit the answer button and said,

"Hey Marcos." As she turned up the volume of the phone. 

"Where are you two right now?" Marcos asks. Akira looks to John and moves the phone closer to him. She has no idea where they are. They've been driving most of the day and she doesn't know what state lines they just passed, if any.

"We just passed the state line for New York. What's up?"

"Thank god." Marcos said with a sigh. "You two need to get to the New York Cell right now. They've been compromised and they need help getting everybody out of that section of the Underground."

"What happened?" Akira asked, worriedly. 

"I don't know but Diana was scanning the web and saw that Sentinel Services had been dispatched to Arlo's location. We called them to warn them but they were already aware and not moving fast enough." Marcos said.

"I don't know if we'll get there in time to help." John said.

"You have to at least try." Marcos said. John looked to Akira who nodded slowly. She couldn't just ignore a call for help, no matter how dangerous she thought she was.

"We'll go Marcos." John said.

"Thank you. Call me when it's all done so I know if you are all okay."

"Will do. Bye." John said. Akira ended the call and snapped the phone shut.

"Guess we're taking a **detour**." John murmured as he gunned it off the next ramp and out into the streets. 

* * *

"Stay in the car Yuki." John said, jumping out and slamming the door shut. They had arrived at an abandoned part of town, large warehouse looking buildings filled the area. John parked nearly a mile away on a hill and had said that the building in the small valley was where the Underground was hiding.

"I can help John. I'm not going to let them take anyone." Akira snapped back at him, getting out. 

"This isn't your fight. You don't have to be a part of this." John argued as they rushed down the hill, through the line of trees. 

"If you think I'm letting you go in there without me you're crazy. You're my ride to Canada." John laughed just as Sentinel Services spotted them and opened fire. John spun around to shield Akira with his body but she had her hand out, pointed towards the agents. A wall of ice ten inches thick grew up out of the ground in front of them, stopping the bullets from reaching them. Akira smirked up at him. "I can take care of myself. Now come on." Akira raced off, building up on the ice wall she had made, creating a safe path from their position to the side entrance of the building. John smiled and took off after her.

As John and Akira burst through the door, they were met by two people, one with red glowing eyes and similarly glowing energy orbs in her hands and a boy who was hovering slightly off the ground. Both of them looked ready to attack. Akira held up her hands to show that she meant no harm as John said, "Is Arlo still here?" The girl's eyes stopped glowing red and the orbs disappeared. 

"Are you John? Arlo said backup might be coming. I just thought..." She looked back and forth between Akira and John. "That there would be more of you."

"Sorry to disappoint." Akira said with a shrug just as a man with chalky gray skin and yellow eyes appeared around the corner. 

"John, thank god you're here. We've nearly got everyone out but the agents are coming down the hill now and..." 

"Where are you all escaping out of?" Akira asked, stepping further into the warehouse, watching other mutants hustle people, bags and other items out down a different hallway. 

"The east exit but.." Arlo said. Akira pushed open the front door. "Are you insane!" Arlo shouted.

"Yuki!" John exclaimed but she wasn't listening. Akira raised her arms up towards the sky slowly and as she did, a large wall of ice began to build out on the grass between the building and Sentinel Agents who shouted or gasped in protest. Akira walked farther outside and moved her arms slowly across, the wall becoming large as she put it up around the entire building like a shield. 

"I can put it around the whole perimeter." Akira said, sweat beading on her forehead. She had never tried to create something so big before. "Just show me where to stop." Everyone eyed Akira with awe and fascination. 

"Well uhh.. There's an old subway tunnel that we're all going to escape down. It's not too far away. I think this should suffice for now. I don't think they've surrounded us yet or know where we're headed." Akira nodded as she closed off the loop around them.

"Show me where you're going and I'll make a small exit." Akira said as they walked around to the side of the building. 

"There, where everyone else has gathered. You've made a perfect barrier around us." Arlo said, fascinated. Akira nodded and simply began to concentrate her powers from the top of the dome, down leaving a door shaped hole at the bottom wide enough for several people to pass through at once. Akira dropped her arms, feeling drain and tired and really really warm.

"Wow I'm dizzy." Akira said, stumbling slightly. "How hot is it right now?" The ice dome had cooled her down a bit but the exertion she used making it made her feel all warm inside. 

"Like 85 degrees." The girl said.

"That's not good." Akira said, nearly crumbling to her knees. John caught her arm.

"You okay Yuki?" He asked worriedly.

"Oh yeah, just hot, give me a sec." She stumbled away from the rest of the group and started a tiny blizzard around her, lowering the temperature around them even more as ice and snow whirled around them. 

"Where have you all been hiding this girl?" Arlo demanded of John. "She's amazing." John smiled, staring at Akira in the middle of her own snowstorm.

"Yeah, she's incredible. 


	7. Stay

"Are you sure you'll be alright." John asked for hundredth time. Arlo gave him a look and John put his hands up. "I just have to ask okay. Just because we're the Mutant Underground doesn't mean we actually have to live underground." John said, looking around at the dark, dank subway system. Old graffiti stained the walls. John could hear rats and bugs scuttling all around them which was only slightly unsettling and of course, it was cold down here. But part of that could be attributed to the fact that Yuki was making snowflakes for the kids.

John looked over at her now and watched as ice particles swirled around her hands, a large smile on her face as she stared at the kids who were in complete awe of her. Everyone had seen her create the ice barrier and everyone watched as she created her own blizzard to cool her body temperature back to it's normal 30 degree temperature. The kids were fascinated by her and her long, white hair. They called her _Snow Angel_.

"We're going to be fine John. We won't stay here for long. I have another building or two that we can stake out. But for tonight, this place will do." Arlo said, continuing to shake out the blankets and hand them out to people. "Will you two be staying the night with us?" Arlo asked, nodding to Akira. John looked back over to her just in time to watch Akira make a tiny snowfall for the kids who cheered loudly and stuck out their tongues.

"I'll ask her." John said.

"You two are welcome to stay obviously. The kids seem to really like her." John nodded as Arlo walked away. When Akira looked up and saw John staring at her, smiling a little with his arms crossed over his chest. She knew he wanted to talk.

"Hey little one's I'll be right back okay?" Akira said, smiling as she stood.

"Ah no! don't go!" The kids complained.

"I just have to talk to my friend okay? Then I'll be back." Akira said. One little girl rushed at Akria and grabbed hold of her leg, hugging her tightly.

"Hurry back!" She said excitedly. "I want to make a snowman!" Akira smiled and patted her head lightly as she let go. Still smiling, she walked towards John.

"Hi. Everything going okay?" Akira asked. John nodded.

"Yeah, everything's good. As far as I can tell, nobody followed us and nobody knows we're here." Akira nodded, pleased. She would be damned if she let these people get hurt. "I'm sorry we got off track today. I already called Marcos and told him it would take us half a day to get to Quebec and probably another day and a half until I was back in Georgia." Akira's smile fell a little. That's right. She was supposed to go home. "Are you okay with staying her tonight, with all of them. I know it's not... Ideal." John said. Akira laughed.

"I don't mind John but..." Akira glanced around at all the mutants. They were either still finishing up dinner, lounging around or had completely passed out from today's excitement. They all looked so happy and peaceful and... Full of life. Akira's powers hadn't failed her yet today but... They could flare up at any moment and she could hurt all the people she just saved. "Can I sleep with you?" Akira asked glancing up at him before realizing how that sounded. "I mean! Oh my god." Akira whispered, her heart pounding in her chest. John laughed. "I just meant if my powers start acting up then I want you to stop me. I know you can withstand them a little bit, not that I want to hurt you either but..." God she was just digging herself a bigger hole wasn't she?

"Yuki you did amazing today. I don't think you're going to do anything that will hurt these people or compromise our position." Akira bit on her bottom lip.

"John you don't know my powers like I do. I'm just... Scared. If I hurt someone again.." Akira stopped, her tongue caught in her throat.

"Again?" John asked, cocking his head. Akira blushed red.

"I don't want to hurt someone John. If my powers malfunction. I _need_ you to stop me just like Lorna did in the car when you all rescued me." John sighed. "Please." Akira said, touching his arm lightly. John licked his lips and nodded.

"Fine, if it comes to that I will." John said. Akira smiled.

"Thank you." She dropped her hand and took a deep breath. "Well what corner of the rotting wall do you want to sleep near?" John snickered as he watched Akira look around. "Ooo, I can make you a bed of snow, see how you like it." Akira teased. John rolled his eyes.

"I think I'll stick to sleeping bags." John said, grabbing one of the extra ones lying around.

"You're loss." Akira said, flipping her hair over her shoulder. John smiled as he watched get walk back to the kids.

* * *

Akira was having trouble sleeping. She eventually opted to have a sleeping bag instead of building a snow bed, having never actually been in a sleeping bag before, and left it mostly unzipped so she could feel the cold air moving throughout the subway system.

Everyone else was fast asleep, Akira could hear their quiet breathing and the small conversation two mutants were having at the entrance of the tunnel. They were on watch duty and while Akira would've gotten up to talk to them, seeing as she couldn't sleep, she didn't really want to answer questions about her life or why she had been hiding out in the North Pole.

Akira rolled over onto her side and sighed. John's back was to her and even though Akira was the one who suggested they sleep near one another, she still felt weird being a foot or so away from him. She could feel the heat radiating off of him and wondered if she would feel warm next to him. Being warm wasn't a sensation she liked necessarily but she would bear it to be closer to him.

Akira ground her teeth and rolled back to the wall. She shouldn't be thinking all of this. She needed to go home. To the Arctic. She couldn't stay out here and she was crazy for even considering it. She also couldn't tell if she wanted to stay because she had met John or if she wanted to stay to help them with their cause. She had felt so good today, better than she had felt in years. And happier. She was also way happier than she had ever been and that was all because of what she and John had done for these mutants. Could she really stay? Could John really help her control her powers?

Before Akira could think of answers to these questions, she fell onto a fitful sleep.

* * *

"Okāsan, iya." Akira whispered in her sleep, startling John awake. He sat up and turned around to look at her. She was balling her hands into fists, face contorted in a look of pain. "Watashi o tasuketekudasai." John ran one hand down his face and sighed. He didn't know what she was saying but it did sound like an asian language. Was it Japanese? That's where she was supposed to be sent to. "Gomen'nasai! Watashi wa yoku narimasu!" Akira cried out, her voice echoing in the room. John looked around and saw other people beginning to wake.

"Yuki, hey." John said softly, touching her arm and shaking her lightly.

"Watashi o yurushite! Watashi o yurushitekudasai!" Akira whined. John could see his breath as he breathed out. Akira's sleeping bag was covered in a thin layer of ice and so was the ground around them.

"Yuki, wake up." John said more forcefully. With a gasp, Akira rose and spun to face John, eyes blue and frost covering her arms as she prepared for an attack. "Hey, calm down. It's just me Yuki." John watched her blink, eyes returning to their normal shade of brown as she dropped her hand and the ice disappeared around them.

"Gomen'nasai." Akira breathed out, hugging her knees into her chest and clenching her hands so tight, her nails would leave sizable indents into her palm. John smiled a little.

"If that means I'm sorry, you have nothing to be sorry for Yuki." Akira looked up at him, remembering where she was.

"Sorry, yeah, sorry." Akira murmured.

"It's okay. It was just a nightmare. Everyone gets them." John said, reaching out and flipping a strand of hair back towards the proper side of the part in Akira's hair. Akira ground her teeth.

"I know I just.. I should've known better than to stay here with all of them. I should go outside or something."

"Don't put yourself down like that." John said, rolling his eyes slightly. "Nothing happened."

"Yeah, this time." Akira murmured to herself, forgetting momentarily that John has enhanced hearing.

"Hey, that's why I'm here right, to stop you if you loose control."

"If I can't even control myself John... What chance does anyone else have?"

"Lorna did a pretty good job." Akira snickered and John was glad to see her smile.

"Okay true but she caught me off guard. In a real fight, there's nothing any of you could do to stop me." John licked his lips, arching an eyebrow at her.

"Why would we be fighting you? I would hope you would be on our side." Akira looked away from him.

"Just forget it." She murmured. But John didn't want to forget it. He wanted to ask her more questions. He wanted to know what language she had been speaking, what she had dreamed about. But Akira rolled onto her side, facing away from him and said nothing more.

* * *

When Akira woke next it was morning. Or at least she thought it was. She couldn't exactly tell since they were underground. Akira turned her head to look at John before rolling over completely onto her side to face him. With her hands under her face, Akira started at John's serene features. His eyelashes were long, touching his cheekbones. A loose strand of hair was falling down across his forehead and Akira really wanted to reach out and brush it back. His mouth was set in a hard serious line, even though he was asleep. The bone structure of his jaw made Akira want to kiss every inch of his face.

But she had never kissed a boy before let alone been this close to one. She couldn't like John. There was no way he would like her back. She was damaged, dangerous. Akira could never be happy or find happiness after what she had done. As Akira thought all this, John's eyes opened and she started at him in complete surprise. "Oh, hello." She whispered. John blinked, rubbed at his eyes and sat up slightly.

"Morning." He murmured. Akira sat up with him and watched as he ran one hand through his hair, wishing she could do the same.

"What time is it?" John glanced down at his watch and sighed.

"A little after six." He glanced back at Akira whose cheeks were actually flushed pink. He frowned slightly. "You okay? Your cheeks are pink. Is it too warm in here?"

"Oh. Uh... Probably." Akira said, putting her hands to her cheeks, hoping to hide her embarrassment. John stretched out his arms and stood before holding his hand out to Akira who took it and stood next to him.

"We should probably sneak out before the kids wake up. They're not going to want you to leave." Akira looked over to where they were sleeping, either with their parents or with their friends and nodded, feeling a pang of sadness.

"You're right." Akira murmured. "They're all so sweet." Akira thought of her stuffed bear still in her bag in the car and wondered if Sentinel Services had taken their transportation or if they didn't think it had been suspicious enough to take into evidence.

"Well, I'm ready when you are. Arlo is on watch so we can just say goodbye to him and then leave." Akira nodded, bending down to roll up her sleeping bag as John did the same. "We can get some food on the road if you're hungry."

"Okay." Akira said softly, stacking the bags with the other spare supplies. She still hadn't decided if she should stay or go back to the Arctic. John talked to Arlo while Akira made small conversation with the girl who nearly took her head off when they entered the building. Her name was Scarlett. Akira wondered if that was actually her name or if it was her superhero name as her eyes and her orbs were a scarlet color.

"You were amazing yesterday. We can't thank you enough." Scarlett said.

"It was nothing. I wanted to help."

"Well, I take back what I said about thinking there would be more than two people coming to our rescue. You two were exactly who we needed to help us escape." Akira smiled widely at her and to her surprise, Scarlett pulled her in for a hug. "Thank you." Akira nodded as John motioned for the stairs. Akira said goodbye to the pair before following John back up to the surface.

"The truck should still be there. I checked last night to see if the Agents took it." Akira arched an eyebrow at him.

"What? When?" She had been with him the whole time and he had never once split off from the group.

"I tracked their movements, see if they went near where it was parked but they were all too focused on us escaping that nobody checked to see where we had come from." Akira nodded. "In a few short hours you'll be back in your element. Are you excited for that?" John asked lightly. Akira was biting on her bottom lip and John felt the air grow a bit colder. She was nervous about something. With a deep breath, Akira looked up at him and said,

"John I'm sorry but... I actually want to **stay**." John smiled as if he had known she would say that all along.

"I was hoping you would say that."


	8. Training

"Where are we even going?" Akira said as she hiked after John up the hill. They were in the back woods of the asylum, far away from the street and away from prying eyes.

"We train everyone out here. It's secluded and wide open so people can let loose." Akira frowned. She didn't want to let loose. She wanted to be under control. That's what she wanted John to teach her, control. Final, he stopped and turned around, smiling at her. Akira thought he looked amazing in a leather jacket, dark pants and gray shirt. He could rock literally any outfit.

John watched Akira shift back and forth on her feet, hands clasped behind her back as she looked up at the birds chirping in the trees. Her hair was blowing slightly in the wind and she was wearing plain blue jeans and a light pink shirt. She kind of reminded him of a child as she looked around at their surroundings, nervous.

"Alright, show me something." John said, gesturing out around them. Akira's eyebrows scrunched together and she frowned.

"Anything?" John nodded.

"Yeah, anything you want. What have you learned about your powers up in the Arctic in the past ten years?" Akira pursed her lips and looked around them slowly. She didn't want to freeze the vegetation. She wasn't that good at controlling that aspect. She could control water easier. Akira smiled at John and walked a couple paces to the small pond nearby. John arched an eyebrow at her as she bent down and touched the water.

With a big sweeping motion, Akira pushed out the water, freezing it in one giant wave as the rest of the pond froze solid out from her hand. John nodded slightly impressed. "Okay, now unfreeze it." Akira's shoulders dropped and she sighed.

"I've never really been good at unfreezing things." she said softly, staring at the large towering jagged piece of ice sticking out of the water.

"I know, which is why we need to practice." John said.

"Everything I freeze though is always... I mean it's semi-permanent. Portions of those roads I froze over when you rescued me still haven't thawed and there's still icicles on buildings and trees and..." Akira sighed.

"I know but you can do this Yuki. You just have to practice." Akira's shoulder fell slightly but she eventually nodded. "Alright, touch the ice." John instructed. Akira bent back down and pressed her palm flat against the cold surface. "I think with your powers, you can do more than just freeze water. I think eventually, you will be able to control water without having to freeze it." John said slowly, walking towards her.

"I don't think so. I've tried that." Akira said, feeling the ice shift under her hands and become denser as her powers reacted to it. That's how it always happened. After Akira froze something and then touched it again, the freeze would seep deeper and deeper past her hand and further into the ground or water or whatever was below the original ice.

"Well, you haven't had me for a teacher." John said softly. "Now I want you to take a deep breath." Akira did so. "Breathe out and picture the ice melting." Akira breathed out, imagining water dripping down from the frozen spire she had created with the water. John kept his eye on the pond but nothing seemed to happen. "Keep breathing in and out like that. Every time you breathe out, imagine more and more of the ice melting." Akira nodded and kept imagining the pond as it had been before she had touched it. The water was murky and insects buzzed over the surface. She tried to picture the large ice spire melting back into the pond, the water sloshing all over the place.

But after ten minutes of John talking to her in a clam, soothing voice and breathing in and out. Akira grew frustrated and stood up. "It's not working." She said with a huff.

"It's not going to happen on the first try." John said, watching her hands begin to turn icy with anger. "You need to relax. You're too tense." Akira huffed and bent back down to touch the ice. It still felt as solid as ever.

"When I melted it last time I wasn't exactly relaxed." She muttered John thought for a second and nodded, smiling as he began to tie his hair back.

"You're right." He said, peeling his jacket off and draping it on the branch of a low tree before walking over to a fallen log and trying to quietly pick it up. "Think fast." John grunted before throwing it high up in the air at her. Akira stood and spun around, shocked that a large log was coming right towards her. Akira pushed both arms out and stopped the log midair, making a frozen trail of ice from the ground up to it.

"John!" Akira shouted who just laughed.

"If I didn't think you could stop it. I wouldn't have thrown it. Come on, attack me. Show me what you got." John said, circling around her slowly.

"Okay but... Just know that you asked for this." Akira pulled her hands out from behind her back. John smiled. She had two large icicles in her palms. Akira threw them at John with as much force as she could muster. John ducked and grabbed up a large broken tree branch as he did. When he came back up, he chucked it at her. Akira pulled at the icy pond and made it lash out onto the branch, hitting it midair and splitting it in half. Akira was so focused on stopping the branch she didn't realize John was charging at her until he was nearly on top of her. Akira squeaked and jumped out of his way but John, prepared for this move, grabbed her arm and wrenched it behind her back, pulling only hard enough to make it uncomfortable.

"Too slow." John said, feeling frost creeping up his arms from where he was touching Akira.

"Are you sure you can stand the cold?" Akira said glancing back at him. She was smirking, irises blue. John smiled. Suddenly Akira grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and bent at the knees. Pulling him with a force he didn't knew she possessed, John was flipped over Akira's shoulder. He landed on one knee, hands on the ground.

"Nice move." Akira shrugged waving her hand down and removing the frost from John's arms and shirt. He smiled. It was working. She was melting the ice without even thinking about it.

"I'm stronger than I look." Akira said, getting down into a fighting stance. Her eyes faded back to brown. "Why don't we fight without the fancy powers." John grinned and stood.

"Enhanced strength _is_ one of my fancy powers." He said with a grin.

" _Hardly_. Come on Thunderbird. Scared I'm going to kick your ass?" Akira asked. John smiled and made the first move, faking a right hook before throwing a real punch towards Akira's abdomen. Recognizing the move, Akira ducked the fake out punch and slid to the right, landing her own blow to John's side but he wasn't phased. He simply turned and moved to punch her in the jaw. Akira slid our of the way again, grabbed his arm and used his momentum to propel him forward, nearly straight into a tree. John laughed, punched the bark and turned back around.

"You can't just use defensive moves. Come on, attack me." John said putting his fists back up. Akira smiled and moved in for the attack. She kicked John in the chest and he grunted slightly before she punched him in the jaw.

"Oh my God!" Akira exclaimed, shaking out her hand and backing away from him. "Jesus I know it looks like chiseled stone but I didn't actually expect it to feel like that." John laughed and Akira blushed a little.

"Well, now you know." John said blocking her next kick attack and punching her in the ribcage, knocking the wind out of her. "You good?"

"Why? Getting tired?" Akira asked, trying to regain her breath. John smiled and moved back in. Akira ducked a punch to the face and when she popped back up behind him she slammed her elbow into his back, making him falter slightly. He caught her leg when she tried to kick him in the stomach and shoved her towards the frozen pond. Akira lost her balance but instead of falling, simply did a backflip and turned back around to face him, her white hair sweeping out around her. 

So they continued to fight, neither of them ever gaining the upper hand. Akira was too quick and John didn't seem to feel much pain when she punched him. John noticed that Akira seemed to be doing some form of Martial arts while he was relying on all his hand-to-hand combat skills from the military. The different fighting styles is what kept each of them guessing, both wondering what the other would do next. 

Finally, as Akira blocked one of John's punches, she hooked her left leg behind his right and pulled back but he only toppled to the ground when she punched him in the chest. John fell to the ground with a laugh as Akira pressed one knee down onto his stomach lightly, her hand on the ground and fist pulled back ready to punch him in the face if he tried to get up. "Okay, I yield." John said. Akira smiled.

"I thought so." She said, standing. 

"Where did you learn to fight?" John asked. Akira laughed, holding her hand out to him. John took it with a smile and she pulled him to his feet.

"I learned the way all asians do, through Kung Fu movies." John laughed. 

"Seriously?" Akira shook her head. 

"No I learned a couple of things in China as a preteen. My brother was taking a class and he wanted to teach me so I could defend myself and..." Akira paused. She had just so casually mentioned her brother to someone. She hadn't done that in... God knows how long. 

"Well he did a good job teaching you. Have you just been out in the arctic practicing all this?" Akira pursed her lips. She had and she hadn't. There was a part of her that wanted to learn to fight, but another part of her that didn't. She never knew who to listen to. 

"Yeah, kind of. Not much to do except swim, practice my powers, read... That's how I've kept up on the world, I checked out books at this library in Greenland." john arched an eyebrow at her. 

"You have a library card in greenland?" Akira shook her head.

"Okay fine, I stole the books but I always put them back!" Akira said. John laughed and motioned for her to come closer. 

"Come on, you can melt the ice now." John said with a level of confidence Akira didn't possess for herself. 

"No I can't." She said skeptically. 

"Yes you can." John said putting his hands on her shoulders, facing her towards the pond. Akira's cheeks felt warm. "Just breathe in and out and imagine it melting like I said before." His hands left her shoulders an with a sigh, Akira bent back down and touched the ice. She breathed in deeply and as she exhaled she imagined running her hand over malleable, flowing water. She pictured water dripping from the spire, the ice retreating back into the pond and disappearing completely. She continued to run her hand over the ice and then suddenly, her hand was plunged into ice cold water. When Akira opened her eyes, the pond was back to normal.

"Oh my god!" She exclaimed, jumping up and turning towards John before she threw her arms around his neck happily. John laughed, hugging her back. He was sweating and he smelled like the dirt Akira had pinned him to but she didn't care. She was too happy. "I did it!" Akira exclaimed, puling back.

"I knew you could." John said with an encouraging smile. "Come on, I think we've done enough for right now. We can come back out here after lunch if you're game." Akira nodded, feeling reenergized as John went to get his jacket. Together, the two of them walked back down to the building and entered through the kitchen's side door.

"How was **training**?" Marcos asked as Akira and John passed him. The two shared a smile.

"Great." Akira said.


	9. Melt

"John, I'm glad she's here especially since we don't have AC but.. let's be real. We know nothing about this girl or why Sentinel Services tried so hard to keep her locked up. You saw those chains just as well as I did. She was heavily sedated when we rescued her and we don't know why or what she's done." Lorna said, leaning back against the table Diana was working from.

"I know and I'm trying to get her to talk to me. But it's slow going. She doesn't trust people and we've all just met her. She's going to be wary of us." John said.

"I think it's her we should be wary of." Lorna murmured looking at Diana. "Do you have any more information on her? Did Sentinel Services unseal some files so they could spread the word about a dangerous escaped mutant?"

"That's the weird thing. They've barely even talked about your rescue from a week ago. There's a couple of reports but that's it. It's like they're not even trying to search for her." Diana said, looking up at them with confusion. "If I didn't know any better, I would think that... She's so dangerous, they don't want to cause nationwide panic looking for her. If the government thinks the Underground has her, they might want to keep us in the dark about who she is and what she can really do." Marco purses his lips.

"What did you say the day before we went to get her?" Marco asked. "That she could be a test tube mutant? Made to kill all other mutants?" Diana frowned slightly and looked back to her computers.

"It's just a theory." Lorna sighed.

"Where's Riley. He's always lurking. We need some probabilities." Lorna said, stepping out of the room to go find him. John sighed.

"Have you run her name through the mutant census in China?" John asked. Diana sighed.

"I have but there's no mutant registered under the name _Yuki_ with her kind of powers. I even checked censuses that go back as far as a decade before she might have been born." Diana shook her head. "There's nothing."

"It might not actually be here name." Marco said. John frowned. He hadn't even considered that. Lorna walked back in with Riley in tow.

"Tell them what you told me." Lorna said with a huff.

"There's only a 5% chance that she's a test tube mutant." John took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. "But my previous probability about her being a dangerous mutant has gone up." John tried to recall Riley's first number but couldn't. "There's now an 89.8% chance that she's a threat to us and anyone who tries to get in her way." John tried to picture Akira as some deadly killer but couldn't. Every time he thought of her, all he could think of was her laugh.

"What made the probability go up?" Marcos asked.

"I met her. She stayed. She's training with John. All of these small little things add up. Once I have more information on something, the probability always changes. Like right now, there's a 76% chance she's going to come in here looking for John."

"John!" A voice was heard down the hall. Akira had seen him, Marcos and Lorna come down this way maybe an hour ago and she had tried to wait patiently for John to come back out of Diana's surveillance room but she was growing bored. She wanted to train with him some more.

"Your girlfriend is calling." Lorna said. John gave her a look.

"Back here Yuki!" John called out. Akira continued down the hall and paused in the doorway. Everyone was turned to look at her and Akira was surprised to see Riley.

"Hey umm... Am I interrupting something?" Akira asked lightly. John shook his head.

"No. You ready to train some more?" Akira perked up and nodded.

"I've been practicing unfreezing this bottle of water for like three days. I've almost got the hang of it." Akira said. John smiled.

"Good now you just gotta do that on bigger things." John glanced at his friends as he walked towards Akira. "We'll talk later." He said. Akira wondered what they had been discussing. It had to be something important if Riley was involved. He dealt with probabilities. When Akira found this out she had jokingly asked him what the probability was of her not feeling like a complete disappointment to everyone. Riley had surprisingly answered with,

"52.4%" 

Akira and John started to walk back towards the main entrance of the building and John started to tell her what he wanted to work on but Akira held up her hand to stop him."You want to me to _let go_?" She asked, confused.

"Yes. I want you to show me just how powerful you are." Akira snorted and shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't think you _understand_ how much power I have." Akira said to John as they walked through the building slowly.

"I think I do." John said but Akira just shook her head.

"Do you know why they moved me from D.C to Georgia?" Akira asked.

"Well we do have one of the highest security prisons in America." Akira nodded.

"Exactly but the number one prison for Mutants is in D.C. Why do you think they were moving me?" The thought, surprisingly, had never occurred to John. "I froze my entire cell, top to bottom and the ice startled to leak out into the rest of the prison. I froze glass, steel, concrete, everything. Miraculously nobody was hurt, unless you count pneumonia but..." Akira sighed. "John I did all of this while my Inhibitor Collar was on." John arched an eyebrow at her.

"What? Those things send jolts of electricity through you when they sense mutant abilities."

"I know but my skin is a little tougher than normal and I kept freezing the circuits. It malfunctioned and eventually stopped working altogether." John pursed his lips. Other people with cryokenisis hadn't even been able to do that before. All other mutants with abilities like hers had never been able to escape prison by freezing their collars.

"You consciously froze your entire cell?" John asked. "What for? That prison is underground. You would have never gotten out of there by smashing through the walls." Akira bit her tongue but eventually, it came out of her.

"John, I froze my cell while I was asleep. The only reason it stopped was because I woke up to the sounds of people screaming." John watches her shudder. "I thought I gave everyone a bad case of frostbite." Akira murmured as they pushed open the door to the woods outside. "That's why I told you, when we were with those other mutants in the subway system, that I needed you to stop me if I started to do something like that. If I had hurt any of them..." Akira didn't even want to think about it.

"We'll get your powers under control Yuki. I promise." John said softly. "But I also need to understand just how powerful you are." Akira looked around at the trees and the grass, feeling the wind move through her hair.

"If we were in the Arctic I could show you a little better." Akira said. "There's tons of room out there and a snowstorm out there wouldn't raise any eyebrows." John smiled.

"How about you make a controlled snowstorm, like you did that day in New York to cool down." Akira bit her lip.

"Well yeah but if I try to make it bigger than a couple feet I loose control of it."

"We'll work on it then." John said, smiling at her. And that's what they did. John had Akira stand several feet from him and asked her what she did to create a mini snowstorms.

"I don't know... I just concentrate really hard?" Akira shrugged. "I don't usually have to make mini snowstorms. I've only had to do it a couple of times if my temperature is too high. Making bigger storms is easier." Akira said nervously, wringing her hands. John motioned for her to go ahead and she nodded. Closing her eyes, Akira pictured ice and snow and sleet swirling around her like a whirlwind. She clenched her hands into fists as the wind picked up, tossing her hair around. 

"Try to expand it without loosing control." John called out. Akira moved her fists up closer to her face and opened her eyes so she could see what she was doing as she slowly opened up her palms and pushed out with her arms. The tornado of ice and snow slowly expanded beyond her. John nodded. "Keep going." But Akira was afraid of loosing control so she dropped her hands and everything melted away, one final icy breeze filling the space they were standing in. "Why did you stop?" John asked, walking closer to her. "You were doing fine." Akira shook her head.

"I could feel myself loosing my grip." 

"You've got to test your limits Yuki."

"That was my limit." Akira said with a frown, half glaring at him. John took a deep breath and nodded. 

"Alright, lets try something else then. You said you've gotten better at unfreezing things?" Akira shrugged. "Well try freezing everything around us right now and lets see if you can undo it." Akira glanced around at the trees, grass and flowers. 

"You want me to kill everything?" She asked skeptically. 

"No, try freezing the outside of everything Yuki. Essentially you're going to try coating everything in ice. To kill everything, you would have to freeze all the cells inside the plants. That's what will kill them." Akira arched an eyebrow at him.

"You a science major?" John laughed.

"No, I wasn't." Akira shrugged and shook out her arms. 

"Alright well, stand behind me. I don't want to accidentally cover you in ice too." Yuki said, bending down and touching the ground, both of her palms flat against the dirt. John smiled and moved behind her while frost began to cover the ground around Akira. John watched as the frost crept out over the grass, the ground, flowers, and up into the trees. In under a minute the whole area was covered. And then the frost began to thicken into ice. John could hear everything creaking and cracking, threatening to shatter.

"Yuki." John said, touching her shoulder as the branch from a tree broke off and fell away.

"I know. I know. Too much. Too much." Akira whispered to herself, hyperventilating a little. 

"Deep breath." John said. Akira breathed in, pulled her hands off the ground and closed them into fists. **_Melt_** _. Melt. Melt. Everything please melt._ Akira chanted in her head. Akira opened her eyes once she heard water dripping. Everything was melting. The ice on the ground had all but disappeared and the icicles in the trees were melting. Akira took another deep breath and when she breathed out, she could see her breath. Then, for the first time, Akira felt herself pull all the ice back in. John watched Akira stand and when she turned to him she was smiling slightly, irises blue. 

"I felt myself melting the ice that time." She said, eyes flashing back to brown. John nodded.

"That's good. Now you know what it feels like." The air around them still felt chilly, clouds began to gather overhead. Akira looked up at the sky skeptically. She hadn't don that had she? That's when a thought occurred to her.

"Oh no." Without warning, Akira raced back through the trees to get back to the mutant underground. 

"Yuki!" John shouted but she kept running. John chased after her and slowly he realized that parts of the ground and the trees he was walking around were still covered in ice. "Oh god." The trail led right back to the old asylum. John found Akira twenty feet from the building, hands over her mouth in shock. John arrived just in time to watch a thin layer of ice cover the entire building. 


	10. Frozen Heart

Akira pressed her hands into the ground and squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember that same pull she felt when she had removed all the ice from the trees in the valley she and John had been in. John was saying something to her but Akira wasn't listening.

_I won't let them die. I won't let them die. I won't do this again._

"Yuki calm down. It's just on the outside of the building."

"It's inside." Her voice came out like a hiss and John watched as frost crept up her arms, wove through her hair and settled onto her clothes. Ice began to grow up and over her hands, interlocking and forcing Akira to keep her hands on the ground. John wondered if it was a result of her anxiety or if it was because she was shifting the focus of the ice from the Mutant Underground Base to herself.

Akira breathed out, and John could see her breath. Icy vapor flowed around her and slowly, John watched the building thaw. "Did it stop?" John asked as Akira stood. Ice was still inching up her skin, covering her arms.

"Yes." John headed down the rest of the way to the building just as Marcos and Lorna burst out off the side door.

"Wh-what th-e-e hell!" Lorna shouted. "What happ-" but her teeth were chattering so much she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yuki was testing her powers and I guess the ice had a farther reach than either of us expected but..." John turned to look at Akira but she was no longer standing where he had left her. "Crap." John cursed. "Yuki!" He shouted. "Yuki where..." He looked back to Marcos and Lorna. "Everything's okay now. Just grab some blankets and tell everyone to stay warm."

"John!" Marcos shouted as he began to race back into the forest after Akira. When he was out of his friends sight, John crouched down, pressing one hand to the ground so he could listen for the sound of Akira's movements and track where she had gone. He could hear her labored breathing as she ran and he stood back up, going after her. Eventually, he didn't need to use his powers to know where Akira was, she was leaving a trail of permafrost in her wake. The ground was frozen solid, along with trunks of trees and dead leaves.

"Yuki!" John shouted, bursting into a small clearing. She was kneeling in the middle of everything, the grass around her black and curling in on itself. The air was filled with icy vapor that almost looks like fog but is much much colder and way denser. John watches as jagged ice begins to protrude up out of the ground, shifting and losing around Akira in a wave that seemed to roll with her shoulders as she cries. "Yuki, it's okay."

"It's not!" Yuki shouts, turning to look at him. Her eyes are ice blue again. "I could've killed them! All your friends, all those innocent people!"

"But that's not what happened." John says gently.

"I should've never let you convince me into staying. I was so stupid thinking I could come here and interrupt your lives. I'm making _everything_ worse." John watched as a snow flurry began to fall.

"Yuki you haven't done anything like that. I know you're upset with yourself right now but you can't..."

"I need to go home!" Akira shouts, her hair whipping around violently. "I need to go home right now!" Akira doesn't hear John say anything else but suddenly, she feels his hands on her arms. They're warmer than she anticipated. In surprise, Akira opens her eyes. Snow is dusting his hair and his lips are tinting blue. She knows she'll kill him if she lowers the temperature anymore.

"Yuki you are home. You don't belong out there all by yourself. You need to be around other people. You need to learn to control this. I know your emotions are high right now but you can still be upset and not cause a snowstorm in the middle of summer." Hearing him talk so calmly surprised Akira. She's only ever met people who were afraid of her, afraid of what she could do. Nobody ever really believed in Akira. Even her own parents tried to get her to hide her powers. "You can do this." John said. Akira started to cry, tears running down her cheeks before she threw herself into John's arms. The snow stopped falling, the wind stopped howling and the ice around them slowly began to melt as Akira cries into his shoulder

* * *

"She's dangerous. There's no doubt about that." John sighed, running one hand through his wet hair. Snow and ice had caked it just moments ago and he started to tie of up to get it out of his face.

"She's not dangerous. She's scared and unsure of herself and..."

"She froze the whole building John. She wasn't even trying to." Marcos said lightly.

"I know but..."

"We should let her go home. It's what she wants anyways." Lorna interrupted John. John sighed. Akira wasn't here. She had opted to stay outside while she let everyone discuss her fate. Akira was still adamant that she should leave but John and several other people agreed that she should stay.

"If she doesn't learn to control her powers now, she never will."

"I remember how scared I was when I started training. I thought I would never gain control. She needs to stay so she can learn."

"So what if she nearly froze us to death. That's actually kind of cool just let her stay."

"She makes snowmen for me! I want her to stay."

But so far Lorna and Marcos weren't convinced that she should stay. "John, Yuki is a nice girl but if you can't help her.." Marcos said.

"I can." John interrupted. "She's never tried to control her powers before now. It's slow going but I can get her there. I've helped everyone else who has had trouble. Why shouldn't I be able to help her?" Marcos and Lorna gave each other a look and John knew they were caving in.

"She has until the end of the month." Lorna said.

"Lorna..." John said with a sigh. That was only 2 weeks away. John needed more than that to undo years of emotional fear and anxiety. Even Marcos gave her a funny look. "I'm serious. We cant have her risking the safety of everybody else here or compromising our position."

"Alright, 2 weeks. I can do that." John said.

* * *

"Does everyone want to drop me off at some mutant orphanage?" Akira asked, sensing John walking up behind her. The summer air was warmer and the clouds had all but disappeared now. The day was warming up as it should be. John smiled and snickered a little.

"I think you're too old for an orphanage." He said, moving to sit next to her in the grass. Akira shrugged.

"You could just drop me off somewhere, call Sentinel Services. I'm sure they'd be happy to have me back, put me on ice." John smirked again and shook his head.

"We're not going to do that either." Akira pursed her lips, not wanting to ask anymore questions because she was afraid of the answer. 

"They've given me 2 weeks to help you learn to control this." Akira blew icy air out of her mouth, her nerves getting the best of her. "It's not a lot of time, I know but I think we can do this." Akira said nothing, just licked her lips as cool air blew around them. 

"I don't know John. Maybe it's too risky. I've already screwed up and I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially not..." Akira paused. She had almost said, especially not you but she couldn't say that. Not only was it cheesy but it was embarrassing. Why did she have to fall for a guy she barely even knew? "There's just a lot that you would all be risking." Akira murmured, putting her hand in her arms on her knees. She felt John place her hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Our lives are at risk all the time."

"But I'm a different kind of risk John." Akira insists.

"I don't see how." Akira didn't want to argue with him. Half of her brain was screaming to shut up, to stay with the Mutant Underground but the other half was telling her it wasn't worth the risk. Their lives weren't worth the risk. 

"And I don't want to stick around long enough for you to see that." Akira said, looking over at John. He sighed. 

"It's your choice Yuki. I won't force you to stay." John stood, brushing the grass off his pants and with that, he turned and walked back into the building. 

* * *

"You're still here." Akira laughed a little, hearing Lorna say this. 

"Yeah... Did you ask Riley about the probability that I would leave?" She asked, glancing back at the other girl over her shoulder. Akira had hardly moved from her spot outside since John left her there. She had been battling with the idea of leaving for hours. There were pros and cons to leaving and staying and Akira still hadn't made up her mind.

"I did." Lorna said, moving to sit down in front of Akira. Akira pursed her lips as Lorna rubbed her hands together against the cold air that was circling them. "He said you were dead even at 50% which doesn't happen that often." Akira sighed.

"Damn, I was hoping for something more concrete." Lorna said nothing, just looked away. "Do you want me to leave? Be honest." Lorna didn't hesitate.

"Yes. I think you're dangerous, trouble but... That's what the rest of the world labels all of us so what do I even know." Akira looked at the ground.

"I am dangerous." Akira murmured. "But in the arctic I never felt that way." 

"You were... In your element." Akira laughed.

"Yeah, I was. It was one of the only places I felt free, really." Akira sighed, feeling the air around them settle back into the little humidity that was lingering in the dying sunlight. "Can... Can I ask you a question?" Akira asked Lorna.

"Depends on the question." She said. Akira pursed her lips,

"I was uhh.. I was just wondering when your powers manifested. What life was like for you without them." Lorna arched her eyebrows in surprise.

"Well like most mutants, my powers came during puberty and before them... Life was just about as shitty as it was without them. Why?" Akira sighed.

"I've never known life without my powers. I've just _always_ had them and I always wonder what life would be like without them." Lorna opened her mouth to speak but Akira kept going. "My uhhh.. My father used to say that I was never supposed to be alive. That I was a _miracle_." Akira said with a sarcastic laugh. "My umbilical cord had been choking me, cutting my oxygen supply off. The doctors performed an emergency c-section but it was too late. I was dead." 

"So your X-Gene saved you." Lorna said. She had heard of kids being born with their mutations, they usually come about during situations with high stress levels. What Akira was describing sounded exactly like that. 

"Or just cursed me." Akira corrected. "They let my mother hold my cold, lifeless body and she was so warm, it made me uncomfortable apparently and I started to cry." Akira ran her hands through the blades of grass, feeling them curl and shrivel and blacken from her touch. "A **frozen heart**. That's what I have. Or that's what the doctors described it as at least. I'm cold-blooded but instead of adapting to my surroundings like most creatures, I make everything around me, ice cold." 

"Why are you telling me all of this?" Lorna interrupted. "Why not tell John? You two are closer than we are." Akira looked over at Lorna.

"I'm telling you because I want you to understand. I wasn't born thinking I was a monster Lorna. I loved my powers. I loved making people happy with them but very quickly I realized that everyone else believed that I _was_ born a monster. So I tried to hide my powers. I tried to learn control. The fear of rejection, of abandonment, and of myself it... It overwhelms me. I don't want to be the monster everyone thinks I am but it's too hard to be anything else." Akira stood, brushing the grass off her pants. Lorna stood with her. 

"Will you be staying?" Akira glanced at Lorna over her shoulder and without another word, started to walk into the woods. From a window overlooking the field, John sighed heavily as he watched Akira walk away. 


	11. Cold Blooded

Before the rest of the house was awake, John went to look for Akira. She hadn't come back inside since the conversation he saw her have with Lorna last night but all her stuff was still in her room. John knew she wouldn't leave without the bear, Winter, that young Maya had given Akira and there hadn't been any news reports of a fast moving iceberg heading north so John thought it was safe to bet that Akira was somewhere nearby, unsure if she should stay or leave. 

As John pushed open the door, he heard someone come up behind. Glancing back, John saw Riley who was stirring sugar into his tea slowly. "If she's still outside there's a 68.4% chance you're going to convince her to stay." John smiled a little.

"Thanks Riley." John said, walking outside and closing the door behind him. Riley sipped his tea slowly and started to walk back to his room.

"And an 88.5% chance she's staying just because she likes you." But John, even with his enhanced hearing, did not hear Riley mutter this under his breath from twenty feet away. John was too concentrated on the thought of Akira and where she might be. It didn't take a genius to figure out where she was though, she had left a fairly obvious trail of blackened plants and frosted trees. John pursed his lips. He had only seen her turn plants this color when she was agitated. 

As he moved farther into the forest, the trees thickened and so did the frost until eventually he stumbled on a tiny winter wonderland in the middle of Georgian Summer. There was a fair dusting of snow on the ground. Icicles hung from trees, branches were thick with ice and snow. The sunlight just peeking up in the distance illuminated the entire space and sitting down in the middle of it all, in a bed of snow, was Akira. She looked cold as ice, snow and ice covering her face, clothes and seemingly keeping her pinned to the ground. Her legs were crossed, hands on her knees. She almost looked like she was in a trance.

John moved towards Akira slowly, not wanting to startle her. He watched her breath out, an icy breath of air escaping her mouth and just like that, everything around them began to melt. The icicles dripped away, disappearing. The snow melted away into the ground, leaving puddles of water here and there. The ice and snow covering Akira looked like they were being absorbed back into her skin and her clothes but she wasn't drenched in water like John expected. Finally, something incredible happened. The blackened leaves, grass and flowers all began to regain their color and life as Akira unfroze them. When she opened her eyes to look at John, her irises were ice blue.

"You've gotten better at that." 

"I'm going home John." Akira replied, standing up slowly. "I knew you would come out here eventually. I wanted to ask you to bring me my stuff from inside the house. I... I can't go back in there." 

"Yuki nobody hates you for what you did or is afraid..."

"Well I'm afraid John, okay? I'm afraid." John sighed as Akira turned away from him. "I can't stay here any longer. I'm dangerous. I can't control my powers and..."

"You seemed to be doing fine just now."

"I've been practicing all night." Akira muttered under her breath. "A couple of hours of training isn't going to help me." 

"Yes it can, you've just proved that." Akira shook her head. She didn't know why she was even arguing with him. She needed to put her foot down. She needed to leave, with or without all the things she wanted to take back to her ice shelf with her. "I told you that you need happy memories to help you control your powers. You can't create those by yourself Yuki." 

"I _was_ happy out there John. I was away from people so I wouldn't have to worry about hurting them. I had books and magazines and the polar bears to keep me company. If I wasn't happy out there don't you think I would've tried to come back to civilization? To find a new home?" 

"Yuki..." John could feel the temperature lowering. Snow began to trickle down around them slightly. 

"I'm a monster John. I'm _exactly_ the kind of mutant that the rest of the world is afraid of and they should be afraid because I _can't_ control this." Akira let out a half exasperated shout and clenched her hand next to her head, forming a fist and stopping the flurry of snow that she was creating around them.

"Yuki please..." John said, taking a couple steps towards her but Akira backed away.

"Just... Just stop John. It doesn't matter. I'll just leave. I don't need any of that stuff anyways." Akira says under her breath, turning away. John grabs her hand. "John let go of me." Akira says icily, glaring daggers at him with her blue eyes. 

"I know you're scared Yuki but you can't just keep running away. You're a good person, people here like you." Akira snorted. She was pretty sure Lorna didn't care that much for her. "The underground could benefit from having you on our side."

"Because of my powers." Akira said bitterly.

"No, because you're one of the most selfless people I've ever met." Akira felt him squeeze her hand.

"Why do you want me here? I don't understand John." Akira whispered, looking back at him. Tears were silently streaking down her face.

"Because you belong here, with _us_." That's what Akira always wanted, a place to belong. She always thought that that was in the arctic. That she belonged with ice and snow and solitude. But as much as she loved the place she had spent the last decade of her life, she longed for something more. 

"You don't even know me." Akira said, looking away from John, trying not to think about the fact that they were virtually holding hands. If John knew who Akira was, he wouldn't want her anywhere near him or the Mutant Underground.

"Then _tell_ me more about you." Akira said nothing, just slowly puller her hand out of John's. 

"I'm cutting my time limit in half." John arched an eyebrow at her. "One week to learn control or I'll leave."

"Yuki..."

"One week John and I'm not going back inside. It's safer for me to stay out here away from everyone."

"A week and a half and you _have_ to sleep inside Yuki." 

"I don't have to do anything John. One week. If you think I can learn some semblance of control, then that's all I'm giving us." Akira nearly blushed as she referred to them as 'us'. John sighed.

"Yuki you have to stop being afraid of everything. Nothing is going to.."

"Happen?" Akira demanded. John sighed. "How do you know that John? How do you know?" John didn't answer because he didn't know. "I could be a **cold blooded** killer John. Did you ever think of that?"

"You're not."

"How do you know?" Akira said again. John looked deep into her eyes so Akira knew he meant it.

"Because I can see it in your eyes. You're a good person Yuki." Akira wanted to correct him, wanted to tell him her real name but she kept her mouth shut.

"Fine." Akira said, dropping her gaze. "But I think you need glasses John." Akira said, turning around and walking away. "I'm not a good person." John didn't know how to argue with her and so he watched her walk away.


	12. Power

Akira was standing in front of a tree frozen in a solid block of ice and she wanted to scream. Just three days ago, she had been able to cover this whole wooded area in frost and melt it with ease and while John thought it was a big improvement, he wanted to see her unfreeze something bigger, something more solid. This was the idea he came up with.

Akira knew that the tree was in there somewhere in that frozen block but the ice was so thick and so cold, she couldn't even see the trunk anymore. The only way she could tell that a tree was in there was because several of the taller branches were sticking up out of the top of the frozen block. Akira threw her hands in the air and turned to face John. "It's no use. I can't do it." John half smiled at her.

"Yes you can."

"Easy for you to say. You're not trying to unfreeze about 200 pounds of ice." John arched an eyebrow at her.

"Is that how heavy that block is?" Akira rolled her eyes.

"I don't know, I'm just saying John." He chuckled and Akira sighed.

"Well what are you thinking about when you're trying to unfreeze the block?" Akira frowned.

"I'm thinking that I want to unfreeze the block John."

"Okay but while you're doing that, you're doubting yourself."

"Kind of hard not to. I think I'm made of 78% self-doubt." John smirked and Akira sighed, looking back to the block again. It still looked as large and as menacing as before.

"Yuki you have to focus on positive emotions when you use your powers. Not all the negative ones. You said that you made it snow once when you were happy right?" Akira shifted from one foot to the other, nervous. Yeah, she had. So how was being happy going to help her unfreeze the block? What if it only made it bigger.

"What do I.. What should I even think of?" John sighed and ran one hand through his hair.

"Well you've been with us for a while now. Don't you have happy memories with us now? Hanging around Trinity and the others? What about the girl who gave you that stuffed bear?" Akira shrugged a little. Sure, those things had made her happy but not the kind of happy John was talking about because part of Akira felt that all these people were only being nice to her, being friendly out of pity. The only happy thing in her life recently had been... Seeing John shirtless. "Do you have a memory?" Akira was glad she was facing away from him because her face had gone beet red.

"Yeah, I think so." Akira said, her heart racing in her chest.

"Alright well concentrate on that. Concentrate on how you felt in that moment and think about melting the ice at the same time." Akira took a deep breath.

"Think happy thoughts, think about melting the ice, simple."

"You can do this Yuki." Akira nodded and took another deep breath. Closing her eyes, she raised her hands out towards the block, feeling the cool vapor wafting off of it. She could hear water droplets freezing around the block, sticking to the ice or falling to the grass bellow. She felt a breeze push back her long white hair and took another deep breathe as she began to remember how John looked standing in their hotel room. The room was warm, warmer than Akira was used to. Water was dripping off the ends of his hair and making his skin almost shine in the low light. Akira grit her teeth, feeling warmer than was comfortable. Was she blushing that hard? Was anything even melting? Akira pictured the lean muscles of his chest and arms and the towel that hugged his hips. God was she really imagining this? Him? A hand came down on her shoulder and Akira opened her eyes. The ice block had completely disappeared.

"Yuki! You did it." John said happily. Akira still felt incredibly warm though. She was still picturing John wearing only a towel. "Are you okay? Was that too much. You look really red right now." John said worriedly.

"I uhh... Yeah I'm fine. It just took a lot out of me is all." Akira said, fanning herself with her hand, feeling an icy wind wrap around her body. "I'll be fine in a minute." John nodded and looked back towards the tree. Puddles of water were lying in the grass here and there and water droplets were still falling from the branches and leaves of the now blackened tree.

"That was the fastest you've ever unfroze something like that. What memory were you recalling? We could use that." Akira felt herself blush again.

"Uhh.. I was remembering our drive back from New York." John arched an eyebrow at her and Akira became even more embarrassed. Why didn't she lie better? Why didn't she just say I was remembering how good it felt to save the New York Cell of the Mutant Underground. Why did she have to mention John? "I just feel... Relaxed around you and my powers didn't flare up on the ride home and it was probably the most fun car ride I've had recently and..." John held up his hand.

"You don't have to explain Yuki." Akira sighed. She had been rambling. John chuckled a little. "I think you're ready then." John said glancing around the area to make sure that ice and frost weren't silently spreading around them.

"Ready for what?"

"Lets go into the city." Akira was so surprised she took a step away from him. John exhaled slowly, seeing the look on her face.

"Are you nuts?" Akira asked. John shrugged. "There could be people out there looking for me you know. Sentinel Service Agents probably told the cops to be on the look out for a White Haired Witch." John smirked.

"White Haired Witch?" He said, touching a strand of her hair. Akira almost stumbled over her words as he touched her. Well, touched her hair anyways.

"It's what I heard a couple of people call me back in D.C and when I was captured. Apparently I became a little legend in Greenland."

"A legend?" John asked with a laugh. Akira pursed her lips.

"Yeah.. People saw me do weird things. Walking around in the snow in summertime clothes, dive straight into freezing water. People thought I might be a ghost or some supernatural being. Thats why I started to steal winter clothes and put my hair up in a beanie if I went into town. I didn't want people to see me and get scared.

"We could always dye your hair you know." Akira laughed.

"You think I haven't tried? Nothing sticks to my hair. It's pure white and color just falls right off of it. I think I'm too cold for it to work."

"Well, we do have a couple of wigs lying around so.."

"Wait why are we even discussing this." Akira interrupted. "I'm not going into town John. There's... There's a lot more people out there. I could hurt them. I could do some serious damage." John shrugged.

"So could I if I wanted to."

"John, shit happens around me even when I don't want it too."

"It's going to be fine Yuki. I'll be there to help you." Akira snorted and shook her head. "Yuki, you have to do this. How else are you going to learn to control this **power**? You need to jump head first into this if we're to make any sort of progress."

"You don't think this is progress?" Akira demanded, gesturing to the unfrozen tree. "I wasn't able to do that two weeks ago. Now I can go back to the Arctic and unfreeze all that food thats stuck in ice blocks." John laughed.

"You kept food in ice blocks?" Akira's cheeks turned pink.

"It wasn't on purpose. They just froze when I touched them and I couldn't unfreeze them." Akira muttered. John laughed again. "Oh shut up." Akira said, shoving him in the chest.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh." John said, still smiling. Akira rolled her eyes. "Come on Yuki. It won't be for that long. I promise. If you get uncomfortable or the temperature drops too low, we can leave." Akira pursed her lips and crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey, you're the one who said you felt relaxed around me. You won't feel relaxed when we're walking around the park?" Akira's cheeks burned red. The way he said it made it sound like they were going on a date. She shoved him in the chest.

"I'm never telling you anything ever again." Akira said with a huff, walking away and heading in the direction of their temporary home.

"Where are you going?" John called out with a laugh.

"To go find one of those dumb wigs you were talking about." John smiled and jogged to catch up to her.

* * *

"You're going to be fine." John said, watching Akira as she sat in his car, fists clenched on her lap. A light dusting of frost kept covering her fists and part of her jeans but at least it was appearing and disappearing instead of spreading everywhere.

"Look how many fucking people there are." Akira hissed. "Whole families John. I... I can't do this." Akira said looking over at him finally.

"Yuki.." John said softly, his hand coming down on top of hers. "You're going to be fine. I'll be with you the whole time okay?" Akira took a deep breath, brushing back the dark hair of the wig. It felt weird on her head. Lorna had been the one to help her into it and had given her a slight smirk and said,

"John has a thing for girls with dark hair." Which made Akira blush hard. Why had Lorna told her that? Was it that obvious that Akira was pinning after him?

"It's going to be fine." Akira repeated. John nodded and removed his hand from hers.

"Now come on, lets take a walk." Akira breathed in deeply, turned in her seat, pushed open the car door and nearly tripped as she stepped out onto the pavement. "Whoa, whoa." John said, at her side in an instant, catching her arm so she couldn't tumble back and split her skull open on the pavement.

"The park is dangerous. Let's leave." Akira said, trying to jump back into the passenger seat but John held fast to her arm.

"Yuki, everything's fine." Akira huffed and grabbed his hand, closing the car door.

"Everything's not fine but if you're going to insist we do this... You better make sure I don't make a run for it." John laughed, a strand of hair falling from the bun his ponytail. He laced their fingers together.

"Your grip is way to tight for someone your height." Akira stuck her tongue out at him and John laughed as he pulled her towards the sidewalk


	13. Control

Akira couldn't believe it. She was walking around a park, holding a guys hand. It was almost like they were on a date. It was almost... Normal. "This is going to sound stupid." Akira said slowly as the two of them looped around the playground, watching the mothers play with their kids. "But I actually feel normal for once in my life." Akira looked over at John who was smiling at her fondly.

"I'm glad Yuki. Life in the Underground can get kind of stressful and tense so it's good to go out and do stuff like this every now and then. You don't have to constantly put pressure on yourself you know?" Akira nodded. "And... Are you saying you didn't feel normal in the Arctic?" Akira rolled her eyes.

"John, I was floating around on my handmade iceberg with polar bears as my only friends. That wasn't normal." John laughed. 

"Point taken." Akira laughed with him, feeling a strange surge of confidence at the moment. She wanted to tell John who she really was. She wanted to tell him now so she could at least face rejection head on. He might not like her anymore once he realizes who she is and she just had to face that. She had to tell him. "You okay? Everything got a little... Colder." John said in an even voice. Akira was snapped back to attention as he spoke and looked around them. 

"Is it?" she said, heart pounding in her chest. 

"Stay calm. Nothings happening that other people can see. I have heightened senses remember. I just felt a slight drop in temperature is all. It might not even be you." But it _was_ Akira. She took a deep breath. "Don't hold it. Breathe normally Yuki, in through your nose and out through your mouth." A mom and her baby in a stroller walked by and John tried to smile at them but he was too focused on Akira at the moment. 

"This was a bad idea." Akira said,though she wasn't sure what she was referring to. Was it a bad idea to come to the park or a bad idea to tell him who she was?

"This _wasn't_ a bad idea Yuki. Just breathe like I told you." John said, doing it himself for emphasis. Akira tried to copy him but she could feel that tingly sensation in her palms, one of the signs she was about to have a panic attack. The last time that had happened... 

"John we need to leave." Akira said, the words coming out of her in a rush. She could see all the people more clearly now. All of them were moms, toddlers, teenagers on skateboards and bikes. People eating ice cream. People having picnics, barbecues, flying kites. This was a bad idea. A bad idea. A bad idea.

"Yuki." John hissed. Akira gasped and let go of John's hand, realizing she could no longer feel his warmth and that was because, she had nearly frozen his hand off. John grunted and clutched his arm to his chest as his healing process started to kick in. Yuki was full on hyperventilating now.

"John I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry John. Oroka! Baka!" Akira started to curse in another language.

"Hey, look at me." John said. "Look at me right now." Akira continued to mumble in Japanese but looked over at him anyways. "We'll leave okay. We'll leave now just don't freak out please. Just look at me and think about that happy memory." Akira didn't want to stare at him though.It might make her flustered, just like her happy memory would and that might make all of this worse.

"This was a bad idea John. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm sorry." She whispered.

"I'm going to be fine. As soon as I get some blood flow in my arm, we'll leave and..." John paused. He was staring at something beyond her and Akira really didn't want to look back. She really didn't but her head moved slowly to look. Behind Akira was cold white trail of fog and creeping over grass, stone and pavement was a layer of ice trailing down the hill and towards the play set. Akira nearly screamed. It was happening again. 

"No! No! No!" Akira found herself saying instead, earning some looks from people around them who right away spotted the ice and screamed,

"Mutants!" The park was instantly thrown into chaos. People were grabbing children, abandoning bikes, and toys and purses. The word, _Mutants_ rang throughout the area. Akira felt like collapsing onto the ground and sobbing. Everyone was staring at them like they were monsters. It was her biggest nightmare. 

"You can melt this Yuki. Don't let this power have **control** over you. You need to control it." John said but his voice sounded so far away. Akira felt lightheaded. "Stay with me Yuki!" John snapped his fingers in front of her face and she was startled enough to turn to look at him. "Any minute now, cops and Sentinel Agents will be storming this area. You need to melt the ice and then we need to leave." Akira could feel how thick the ice was already, feel it pushing deep into the dirt and pavement, cracking plastic and stone and anything that got in it's way. Akira could hear sirens in the distance. 

"Watashitachi o korosu tsumoridesu." Akira whispered under her breath. 

"You need to try Yuki. Right now, you need to try." Akria heard the terrified screams of kids and people all around and she put up her hands, feeling how shaky she was. Closing her eyes and setting her jaw, Akira tried to pull all of the ice and frost back into her. It almost felt like a sucking motion, like a sponge filling up with water. Akira could feel the ice coming back to her and weaving through her hair. When she opened her eyes again, the ice was all gone and John's hand was healed. He smiled at her. "You did it." 

"Freeze!" Someone shouted. "Put your hands up!" Akira and John looked to their left. A cop stood about ten feet away looking scared. "I said freeze!" He shouted again with less confidence in his voice. John stepped in front of Akira and the officer opened fire. John grunted as bullets slammed into his chest, going a little farther than skin deep but nothing more. When the Officer emptied his clip and fumbled to reload, Akira grabbed John's hand and they began to run, taking off in the direction of his truck.

"Shit! Should I drive? Are you okay?" John grunted again, gritting his teeth.

"I'll be fine but I need to get the bullets out before my skin closes up around them." John said with a hiss, tearing open his shirt a little more from where the bullets hit him. 

"How many are there?" Akira asked, feeling a little queasy as John let go of her hand and began to dig around in his own skin for them. 

"I think three. Sometimes they stick. Sometimes they don't." He said, shoving a bloody bullet into his pocket.

"I'm so sorry John." Akira whispered. 

"It's fine. I'm a soldier remember. I'm used to getting hit like this." He pulled his keys out of his pocket as more shots rang out and sirens blared around them. "This might be hard to get out of." John said as they climbed into the truck and John started up the engine. John's phone buzzed in the cupholder of the car and Akira grabbed it so she could answer while he planned their escape route. 

"There's a 66.9% chance the two of you will make it back alive if you take the exit of the park by the pool and head east on the 410." 

"Are we trying to throw them off?" Akira asked, recognizing Riley's voice.

"Yes and you need to leave right now for that 66.9% chance to stay valid."

"Find the exit for the park that's by the pool and we need to head east on the 410 to shake the cops." John didn't hesitate. He threw the car into reverse, making Akira pitch forward a little with the force he backed up with. "Anything else Riley?" Akira asked as she fumbled with her seatbelt and cops began to surround them. 

"Yes theres..." Riley paused. "I don't know if this makes sense but there's a 15.8% chance of Black Frost." Akira's blood ran cold.

"Thank you Riley." 

"What does that mean? I've never _felt_ a probability before that doesn't make sense."

"I'll explain if we survive." Akira said before hitting the end call button.

"What else did he say?" Akira tried to smile.

"He just asked what happened." John nodded, pressing down harder on the gas pedal. 

"We'll, we'll be fine. I promise." John said. Akira gripped the handle of the car door tightly and almost laughed.

"Don't make promises you can't keep John." John half smiled at her as they blew through a red light, narrowly missing a semi-truck.

* * *

Akira didn't want to but she could feel anger welling up inside of her as she and John pulled up towards the Mutant Underground's hidden parking area. The parking lot had already been here back when the Mutant Psychiatric Ward was open but Trevor, the guy who could manipulate plants, had hidden most of it in tall grass and tall trees so that the number of cars couldn't be spotted from the sky or the ground and look suspicious to anyone passing or flying by. He had also been the one to make the Ward appear overgrown with shrubs and trees over the years. So far, nobody had noticed his changes. But this wasn't what Akira was mad about.

She was mad at John for taking her outside. She knew she shouldn't be, he literally took bullets for her, but she was mad all the same. "You've been quiet." John said as they parked the car.

"I'm debating on whether or not I want to yell at you John."

"Why?" Akira half glared at him.

"Because I told you this was a bad idea. Look what happened!" John sighed and Akira scoffed, getting out of the car and slamming the door shut behind her. She started to stalk off towards the trees and John had to jog to catch up to her. 

"It wasn't a bad idea and you were doing just fine until..."

"Until I freaked out John! Like I always do. I _freaked_ _out_." John pursed his lips.

"You just need more exposure like this. It wasn't that bad Yuki. Nobody got hurt."

"You got hurt John! Does that not count!" Akira snapped at him. John clenched his jaw.

"Nobody got hurt Yuki." He said again. Akira scoffed.

"I told you I wasn't ready and you pushed me into it anyways!" Akira shouted at him, shoving his chest lightly. John felt how cold her hands were and knew she was close to another breakdown.

"You're strong Yuki. I knew you could do this. You're tougher than you know and..."

"Yeah well you were _wrong_ John. I'm not tougher than I seem and I nearly got both of us _killed_ today." Akira snapped at him. With that, Akira turned and walked into the Asylum so she could find Lorna and give her this stupid wig back.

* * *

"Alright, done." Lorna said, standing, wig and wig cap in hand as well as around a dozen bobby pins.

"It was a bad idea to go out. Wasn't it." Akira asked. Lorna thought for a moment. 

"Maybe or maybe it'll help you to get out there more Yuki. I don't know." Lorna said. Akira huffed. "Just know that John wouldn't have taken you out there if he didn't think you were capable, okay." Akira huffed again as Lorna opened the door and left. Akira was ready to walk out after her, head back outside when there was a knock at the door. That could only be one person. Akira ground her teeth and clenched her fists. 

"Go away John!" She snapped at him. He stepped inside anyways, hand on the doorframe.

"Are you okay?" He asked. His hair wasn't tied back anymore but hanging in his face

"Do I look okay?" Akira demanded, irises flashing blue. John almost smiled.

"No but... I had to ask anyways." Akira sighed and turned away from him again. John frowned and walked farther into the room and grabbed her right arm. Akira was about to yell at him when she saw the look in his eyes. He was... Concerned. Akira glanced down at her arm and saw a trail of dried blood that seemed to be coming from her upper arm and moving down to her elbow. "Were you hit?" John said. Akira shrugged.

"I don't feel anything." And she couldn't see anything either since her shirt was black. John sighed and rolled up her sleeve, Akira watching his motions. John pursed his lips.

"It might have just grazed you." He murmured before glancing around the room and heading to a cupboard. Upon opening it, he pulled out a basic medical kit and walked back towards Akira, grabbing a half empty water bottle as he did. Wetting a strip of the bandage a little, he rubbed it against Akira's arm gently, waiting for her to cringe at a sting of pain. Akira's face remained expressionless though so John kept going. Akira had a small gash in her arm that became agitated as John cleaned it. So he quickly bandaged the wound and tied it of securely. "Did that not hurt?" John asked. Akira shrugged.

"I think I have weirdly thick skin." John started to laugh and Akira couldn't help but smile with him. 


	14. Frosty

John had done it somehow. He had convinced Akira to come back into the building and so far, so good. Akira hadn't frozen anything, caused freak snowstorms, and hadn't even so much as dropped the temperature, as far as John could tell. He wasn't with her all the time but according to everyone else in the Mutant Underground, Akira was doing well. 

"Eye of the storm." Lorna had warned though. "That's all this is if anything." Marcos had shook his head at his girlfriend.

"Don't be so pessimistic Lorna." He said. 

"I'm being a realist." Lorna corrected. "She's hiding something from us, I just know it." 

"She has a right to." John argued. "She doesn't know us all that well yet."

"You spend basically every waking moment with her John. You're telling me you haven't learned anything about her?" Lorna demanded.

"It's not like we're going over our life stories Lorna. We're just training."

"Oh really?" Lorna said. "Why should I believe that?" John arched an eyebrow at her.

"What does that mean." Lorna half rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Whatever. I'm going to go do a food run with Riley and the others. See ya." Lorna said, blowing a kiss to Marcos who smiled at her before she walked out of the room. John turned his inquisitive look to Marcos who sighed and stood up.

"She just means that... She's a pretty girl. You two spend a lot of time alone where no one can see and people think that you're together... I guess." 

"We're not." John said with a shake of his head.

"I know that. You would have told me otherwise, I would think. You're supposed to be my best friend." John smirked a little as Marcos touched his shoulder. 

"And... You've got to admit John she does kind of follow you around like a lost puppy dog." 

"She's not comfortable around everyone else. She thinks she'll hurt someone. At least she knows I'm not as... Fragile I guess." Marcos shrugged.

"She seems fine now." John sighed. 

"Barely. " He murmured thinking back to that first night she had allowed herself to be back inside with everyone. 

_John jolted in bed, startled awake by the sound of someone knocking on his door. He squinted a little and checked the watch on his wrist before sighing. It was two in the morning. Had something happened. "Come in." John called out, sitting up. The door opened slowly and John could sense that it was Akira but she didn't walk into his room._

_"John, I'm sorry." She whispered._

_"It's okay Yuki. Is something wrong? You can come in you know." Akira pushed the door open a little more and stepped into the room. John could immediately see how watery her eyes were. He pushed the covers back and stood up, walking towards her. "Are you okay?"_

_"I'm fine John. I just..." She paused, biting her lip. "I'm worried I'll have another nightmare and I don't want to hurt anyone and..."_

_"Yuki you're okay. You put yourself in the room farthest away from everyone and I'll be able to sense if..."_

_"Too late. You'll sense too late if I get wrapped up in one of my nightmares and I don't want to hurt anyone." Akira said, starting to cry. John put his hand on her shoulder, feeling a cold chill wash over him as he did. Akira's tears were solidifying into ice and falling from her face, hitting the wood floor with an odd_ _plinking_ _sound._

_"You're not gonna..."_

_"Can I sleep in here John?" Akira asked, interrupting him before he could say anything else. "I'm scared and it'll just be for this one night and it won't ever happen again."_

_"Yuki..." John said softly._

_"Please." Akira said, finally looking him in the eye. John pursed his lips and finally nodded, gesturing to his bed._

_"You can..."_

_"Shut up. I'm sleeping on the floor." Akira said, half pushing John closer to his bed. He took a step back as he watched Akira grab one of his pillows and flop down onto the ground unceremoniously. John could still hear her crying but he didn't want to push her anymore so he bent down, touched her arm lightly and said,_

_"Everything is going to be fine Yuki. You'll get used to this eventually. I promise." Akira half laughed._

_"Don't make promises you can't keep John." John didn't know what to say so he stood up, climbed back into bed and tried to fall asleep._

"She's scared of something Marcos. Something inside of her and I can't get her to tell me why." John said with a shake of his head. Marcos half smiled.

"Well if there's anyone who can get her to talk about her feelings, its you and I'm not just saying that because she has a crush on you." John scoffed.

"Yuki does not have a crush on me." Marcos half smirked.

"Of course she does John. You were literally the first guy she had seen in a decade and I don't know if you've looked in a mirror recently dude but..."

"Alright, alright shut up idiot." John said, shaking his head as Marcos laughed, heading out of the room.

"I'm just saying dude, there's a high probability that Yuki is into you, just ask Riley if you want to know." Thing was, John did kind of want to know. He could sense sometimes when Akira's heart rate would pick up around him but honestly, she was so nervous all the time around others that John had just attributed it to stress. 

"Whatever Marcos don't you have better things to do." Marcos smirked.

"I do. See you man." John half waved and inhaled deeply, sighing as he crossed his arms over his chest. He was going to have to ask Akira about herself sooner or later. John just hoped she trusted him enough to tell him. 

* * *

Akira was sitting on her bed in her room staring at the stuffed polar bear in front of her. She was biting her bottom lip, arms wrapped around her legs as she placed her head on her knees. She had been fine, stable for once. Nothing bad had happened since the incident at the park. Akira wanted to say that this stuff always happened in the Arctic, that she would have a meltdown followed by a brief reprise followed by another eventual meltdown.

But this wasn't like the Arctic. This time she had people to worry about, an almost sort of home and friends. This was different from the Arctic because she was learning to control her powers and it was actually kind of working. At least she could unfreeze things now which she had never been able to do on her floating iceberg. That was progress... Right?

There was a knock at her door and Akira sighed. "I'm not hungry Trinity! Really, I'm fine." She called out. The door opened and Akira half glanced up as John stepped into the room, smiling a little and carrying two bowls. "I'm okay John." Akira murmured. "You know soup makes me feel too warm anyways."

"That's why this is cereal, your favorite." Akira blushed a little. She hadn't had sugary American cereal before she got here. All the flavors in Greenland had been a little milder, more for grown ups. When John introduced her to Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Akira didn't know if she could ever eat any other kind of cereal.

"Fine, you may enter." Akira said, holding out her hand for the bowl. John smiled, closing the door with his foot as Akira slowly picked up her bear with her right hand and hid it behind her, even though John had already seen it. She was just a little embarrassed to have a stuffed toy at her age though, even if it was a present from a little girl. 

"Everyone's worried about you." John said after a minute. They had been eating their cereal in silence and Akira kind of liked it but she knew something else was coming. 

"Everyone?" Akira questioned, arching an eyebrow at him. John smirked.

"You got me, Lorna said if you wanted to be alone then we should leave you alone, that it's not our business."

"Smart girl." Akira said, making John laugh a little. "So why'd you come up anyways?"

"To talk but... Let's finish our cereal first. I know you hate how soggy this stuff can get." Akira nodded, her stomach churning slightly with nervous anticipation. He was going to interrogate her, ask her about her past. Akira could feel it. She also didn't know what to say to him. How could she tell him who she really was? He would never trust her and Akira could almost see the disgusted look on his face. 

Akira finished her food first, too nervous to do anything else but stress eat. She set her empty bowl down on the small nightstand next to the lamp and John did the same when he finished, licking his lips as he did. "So... Start your twenty questions." Akira said softly, wanting to reach around her to grab the bear. John half smiled a little and sat a little more forward in his chair.

"What are you so afraid of Yuki?" John asked which was not what Akira had anticipated for a first question. "This fear you have seems more deeply rooted than I anticipated." Akira thought for a second, trying to formulate an answer.

"Of course it is John. I was isolated for 10 years. I'm allowed to be afraid of integrating back into society."

"But it's... It's _more_ than that Yuki. I know you don't really trust me but-"

"I trust you." Akira said way too fast for her own comfort. She cringed a little. "I mean, I trust you but I'm afraid you won't trust me once I tell you about.." Akira sighed. She could still hear Riley's words echoing in her mind. _There's a 15.8% chance of Black Frost._ That was a name she hadn't heard in a very long time.

"Whatever it is Yuki, I'm here for you. I promise." Akira smirked slightly, glancing up at him.

"What did we say about promises?" John smiled a little. "Why'd you name yourself Thunderbird?" Akira asked, diverting the conversation as she drew her knees in close to her chest. John licked his lips and sat back in his chair with a sigh.

"It's for my people and..." He rolled up his sleeve a little. "I kind of had to after I got this tattoo." Akira laughed and John smiled at her.

"So is the falcon your spirit animal then? You're from an Apache tribe right?" John shrugged.

"I wouldn't know about that and I also don't use the phrase spirit animal. It's a bit offensive but yes, I'm Apache." Akira's cheeks burned red.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it. Should I call it... Patronus instead?" John snickered.

"You know Harry Potter?" Akira rolled her eyes.

"I was a preteen with powers yes I knew about Harry Potter. I managed to read most of the series before I left home for good." Akira smiled as she shifted around on her seat. "I always pictured mine as being a snow rabbit or a whale."

"I'm pretty sure your patronus would bite me. I don't think you're a rabbit." Akira shrugged.

"You're right my personality is too..." Akira paused and smiled. " **Frosty**." John chuckled. "It's probably a polar bear." They smiled at each other.

"I just want you to know Yuki that... You have nothing to be afraid of here." 

"How can I not be? John if you just knew about... You would understand that..." Akira couldn't finish any of her sentences. It was all too much. She felt like crying. 

"I want to understand Yuki. I want too." Akira shook her head. 

"And I want to tell you but..."

"Then tell me." John said when she paused again. Akira bit her bottom lip and when she looked up at him with a sad, conflicted look on her face John sighed. 

"Thank you for the cereal and for... Caring about me." Akira said softly. "Nobody has been this kind to me since..." Akira sighed and John stood, nodding, muscles tense. 

"You're welcome Yuki. I'll see you tomorrow then." Akira nodded.

"See you at breakfast." She smiled. "There better still be more of this in the morning." John smiled but it didn't reach his eyes and Akira knew that was her fault. He was trying to connect to her but she wouldn't let him. How could she.

Once John knew what she was... He would ever trust her ever again.


	15. Children of The Underground

"Its happening." Diana said, her hand moving across the keyboard at a speed Marcos could barely detect. "They're going to the Mutant Orphanage." Everyone in the room tensed a little more. Lorna most of all.

"So we're going to help them."

"Of course." Marcos said, touching her shoulder lightly. "You already know we have most of the plan down but we don't..."

"Have an escape route." John finished, glancing over at Riley.

"Like I keep saying, broad daylight is the best time to go there. It looks sketchier to the people in the apartment building across the way to see a bunch of people sneaking in and out in the middle of the night."

"But broad daylight Riley?" Lorna said. "That looks _just_ as bad. Our faces are all on wanted posters somewhere. Wouldn't they suspect us of being Mutants regardless what time we go inside?"

"Not necessarily, some humans actually like to volunteer at the orphanage and it is run by a small group of humans _and_ Mutants." 

"But I still think that..." Lorna said with a sigh.

"With Yuki's... Incident last week, Sentinel Services doesn't want to take any chances that people might be hiding her, protecting her. You know we have to be as careful as possible about this. We'll just take a couple of people to quietly evacuate the children and everyone else out of there. I'm sure there's back doors."

"There are. I have blue prints. Back door leads into an alleyway on eighteenth street. The building is super exposed though. Lots of open space. There should be a lot of people in the downtown area at high noon though which means you could all get lost in the crowd if things go sideways but..." Diana paused.

"But what?" John asked.

"Sentinel services has planned their raid for ten in the morning." John sighed as Marcos rubbed his temple.

"This is insane. Those are _just_ kids." Lorna said, feeling a surge of energy.

"Hey, calm down." Diana said, watching her computer screen fritz a little. "Everything will be fine if we get them all out of there. You just need to take enough man power that doesn't look suspicious and try to appear normal."

"There is a 43% chance that things will turn out alright." Riley said. Lorna scoffed.

"That's not helpful. That's not even half." Riley paused. 

"Well... There's higher probabilities depending on who you ask to go with you but the more people the worse the probability and..." Riley paused. 

"Come on man, there's gotta be one probability in your brain that shows us coming out on top." John said. Riley bit his bottom lip.

"There is but... I don't like the other probability that comes with it." Marcos gestured for him to say it anyways and Riley sighed. "There is a 75.8% chance that everyone will make it out of the orphanage alive and well if you bring Yuki along with you." 

"Well there we go." John said, gesturing to Riley. "I like those odds."

"What's the probability attached to that?" Lorna said, not convinced. Riley sighed. 

"There's a 39.2% chance of Black Frost." John's eyebrows furrowed together. 

"What?" Lorna said. "What does that mean?"

"I only feel probabilities Lorna I don't... Decipher them."

"But what is Black Frost? What does that mean?" Marcos asked.

"I... I don't know. I asked Yuki about it last time and she-"

"Last time?" John demanded, crossing his arms over his chest. Riley sighed.

"Well if she didn't tell you John..." He paused and shook his head. "That day you two went to the park, I called Yuki and told her how to escape and about this other probability I felt. It was about Black Frost and she sounded concerned but told me not to worry about it. I asked her about it again after the whole ordeal and she just smiled and said it was nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing." Lorna muttered. John thought for a moment.

"Okay... A 39% chance isn't that high so whatever it is... I'm sure we don't have to worry about it." John said.

"You aren't seriously thinking about bringing her with us are you?" Lorna demanded. "She's a flight risk. We know it, she knows it and we shouldn't risk those kids lives just because the chance of this Black Frost isn't _that_ high." John was about to argue with her when Marcos interrupted.

"Riley are there any higher probabilities for any other people we bring with us to the orphanage?" Riley quickly ran through names in his head, seeing probabilities bounce around in the air around him.

"I..." Riley looked to Lorna who was frowning. "No, I'm sorry but Yuki is a strong Mutant. Most of us here we aren't as powerful as her. There's a 52% chance of success if you brought Finn with you but.. Most of my probabilities are lower than that." Marcos sighed and Lorna was already shaking her head. 

"No. No. We're not brining her." Lorna said.

"You're the one who said you wanted to help those kids!" John snapped at her. "Apparently Yuki is our best bet for getting everyone out of there safely."

"At what cost! W1e don't even know who she is or what Black Frost is and..."

"Black frost.." A voice said, stepping into the room. "Is just a type of frost that I can create." Akira appeared wearing a plain black shirt and dark wash jeans. Her lips were pursed and John sighed, wondering how long she had been standing outside the door. "It's the type of ice I created that day you all rescued me, the one that spread without my control." Akira paused. "I know you guys don't really trust me and... I don't blame you.

"Yuki..." John said but Akira held up her hand and he stopped talking.

"I can control it better now and at least I can unfreeze the frost if it get's out of control." Akira said, clasping her hands behind her back so she wouldn't dig her nails into her palm. "I'm a flight risk but... If I can help, I want to help."

"How did you know we were in here fighting about you?" Marcos asked after a beat of silence. Akira half smiled.

"John isn't the only one in here with advanced hearing. Charlie heard my name mentioned loudly, several times and came to get me.. She thought it might be important and it kind of is." Lorna cursed under her breath. "I'll leave it up to you all if you want me to come or not but... I'm ready and I'll be waiting." Akira said. John tried to catch her eye. He had heard her pulse quicken when she started talking about Black Frost. It almost felt like a lie but he couldn't be sure. Unfortunately, Akira walked out of the room without another word.

"What are you laughing about." Lorna said with a sigh. John looked over to Marcos who had been quietly chuckling under his breath.

"I know you don't really like her that much Lorna but... She has a thing for solid entrances and exits that I appreciate." Lorna huffed. "Come on Lor, we have to bring her with us. You know that. She is the best option to help those kids."

"What about Black Frost that's still..." 

"We've been working on it Lorna. You know she's better at unfreezing things now. She has a better grasp of her powers." John said. Lorna sighed, looking down at her shoes so she could think. "Come on Lorna."

"Just... Let me think okay." Lorna said before shaking her head and slowly exiting the room. Marcos sighed and stood, ready to go after her. He patted John's shoulder lightly.

"I'll tell you what she says." John nodded as Marcos half smiled at him and walked out of the room.

* * *

Akira was lying on her bed, head hanging off the side so that all the blood was rushing to her brain. She probably looked like an idiot with her feet up against the wall but she kind of didn't care. She had done this in years, probably since she was a kid. Her mom used to say it could help her think. the more blood pumping through her brain, the faster she could process things and right now, Akira needed all the help she could. 

It was bold of her to just walk into the meeting like that. But she had hear from Charlie what they were discussing. _Mutant Orphanage_... _Yuki incident_... Those words kept running through her mind and she knew she had to do something to help those kids. It was her fault Sentinel Services was going after them. So she didn't exactly regret going in there but she was worried about the mission.

There was a knock at her door and Yuki glanced over. It was mostly open so she could see John standing there in the doorway. She gestured for him to come in while she got her feet off the wall and sat up properly on her bed. "You okay?" John asked. Akira nodded.

"I was just thinking." She said, nervously touching her red face. She felt like an idiot. She should've known John would come up here to talk to her, not Marcos. "Is everything okay? I didn't mean to interrupt you guys like that and I'm sorry for any..." John pulled the chair over from the desk and touched her hands lightly as he sat down so she would stop nervously wringing them. 

"Hey, it's fine. You don't have to apologize." Akira sighed.

"You're right. I should be apologizing to Lorna, not you." John smirked. "So what's the consensus?" 

"I guess you're going to come with us." Akira sighed in relief but felt a surge of panic fill her almost at the same moment. She was happy to help but if Riley had felt another probability about Black Frost... That wasn't a good sign. 

"Good." Akira said though she didn't sound too happy. 

"You're ready. You did an amazing job last time helping out the New York Cell and you'll do amazing tomorrow." John said. Akira pursed her lips, wanting to open her hands so she could take John's. She wanted to feel how warm his hands were and intertwine their fingers but Akira knew that she shouldn't She needed to be focused. John was a distraction.

"So, what's the plan?"

* * *

Akira scratched her head lightly. The wig was itching her for some reason. It hadn't felt this bad the first time they went out and all Akira wanted to do was pull it down and just hide her hair under a hat or something. "Stop worrying. You'll be fine."

"I'm not worried." Akira said, shifting nervously in the passenger seat of the sedan. Instead of John's truck, they were driving around in a bigger car that could fit more people in case things went... Sideways. 

"Yes you are. Your heart rate has increased the closer we get to downtown."

"Can you blame me? I'm a little nervous. I don't want to mess anything up." Akira said, willing herself to not bite her nails. It was a habit she had acquired as a child but had learned to kick when she was out in the Arctic. The need to chew on her thumb nail until there was nothing left was almost too much right now. John looked over at Akira who glanced up half a moment later. His hair was hanging in his face and Akira could feel how warm he was with his arm on the seat divider between them. _God he looked so cute right now._ John smiled at her as if he could tell what she was thinking. Akira immediately blushed.

"You'll do just fine and I'm sure the **children of the underground** will love you."

"If you say so." Akira said with a sigh. John nodded and a few moments later, they arrived at the parking garage that they were stashing their cars at. Lorna and Marcos had driven separate cars and were waiting for John and Akira when they got there. 

"Alright, we all know the plan." Lorna said. "Let's do this without tipping anyone off." she said looking pointedly at Akira who turned red slightly and nodded. 

"Let's go." Marcos left the garage first and Lorna followed after him five minutes later and after another five minutes, Akira and john headed for the orphanage. When Akira walked in through the back entrance with John she felt immediately overwhelmed. There was at least two dozen kids, all carrying backpacks waiting in a single line not far from them. They all looked somber, sad. Akira paused, feeling heart broken.

"Are you John and Yuki?" A women asked, rushing forward.

"Yes, are you all ready to go?" The women nodded.

"Yes the kids have their things but we're a little worried about..." She began to walk farther down the hallway, motioning for John to follow her. Akira was going to go after him but the women paused in what she was telling John to say, "Could you perhaps stay with the kids? I heard you have ice powers. Maybe entertain them a little if you can. It would be a big help." Akira wanted to protest but the women kept talking to John who smiled at her encouragingly before following her into a different room. Akira tried to smile as she took slow deep breaths in through her nose.

"Do you..." A small voice asked. Akira turned to look at the young girl who had spoken. She had neon blue hair, wide blue eyes and her skin looked almost translucent. "Do you really have ice powers? Are you Elsa?" One of the boys next to her scoffed.

"Elsa had blonde hair. She has black hair." Akira smiled a little.

"Actually, this is a wig." She said, removing it slowly and revealing her white hair bunched up in the wig cap which she also took down. "And... I suppose I am like Elsa in a way." Akira said, opening her palm up towards the sky and letting a small dusting of snow fall down around the kids. All of them immediately began to smile and laugh with delight, sticking out their tongues and shivering from the cold as the temperature dropped. Akira smiled, seeing how happy she had made them. Black Frost was the furthest thing from her mind


	16. The Devil Inside

"Everything good?" John called out as he stepped into the hallway. Akira turned around, a smile on her face. She had taken her wig off, even though she probably shouldn't have, but John kind of loved her hair so he didn't mind. 

"Yeah. Everything's great." Akira said with a smile, lifting her palms up a little to show John the large intricate snowflake in her hand. 

"Your powers are so cool!" A boy said excitedly. "I wish I was more like you." Akira laughed a little at the pun he had unintentionally made. 

"I'm sure your X-gene is just as incredible as mine bud." John smiled, as he took the bag the women handed him.

"It's just some snacks for the kids and juice to calm the down if things get... Rowdy." She paused and peeked down the hallway at Akira. "I'm sure things will go smoothly but you never know." John nodded, wondering if she had been referring to Akira. Had Lorna told them about their reservations? Doubtful. But maybe she had heard about Akira's rescue and the incident at the park. It wouldn't surprise him. "You and Yuki will take Group C. I think they'll be small enough to fit in the two rows. The bigger kids have chosen buddies that will sit on their laps and..." she paused and John could see that the women was on the verge of tears. "It's not fair that Sentinel Services is doing this. They're just... Kids." 

"I know but everything is going to be fine. We'll get them all out of here." John said. The women nodded.

"I pray to god that we do." 

* * *

Akira was counting down the minutes so she didn't need John to tell her when it was time to go. "Alright kids." Akira said with a broad smile on her face. "We're just going to walk two blocks to the parking garage and then go on a road trip. Hold your buddies hands please." Some of the boys groaned slightly but all of them took the hand of their buddy and Akira herself picked up the smallest girl, Lily, who had, so far, refused to let go of her pants leg when she found out she would be going with Akira. The young girl hadn't spoken a word but Akira knew she was scared. She was trembling in her arms. "Why don't you go hold John's hand. Is that okay?" Akira asked the ten maybe eleven year old girl who was Lily's buddy. 

"Okay." She said with a nod, heading to the back of the pack where John was. John nodded that he was ready and Akira took a deep breath and opened up the back door, stepping outside. Lily tightened her grip around Akira's neck.

"Remember to talk and laugh like you normally do." Akira said quietly, glancing at the kids behind her. "Talk about books or TV shows or unicorns or something, okay?" The kids nodded somberly and slowly began to start some quiet chatter. Akira caught John's eye and he smiled at her but Akira could feel that something was wrong as they slowly made their way through the alley and onto eighteenth street. It was only 9:30 but everything felt far too quiet for a busy workday. Where was everyone?

Farther up the street, Akira spotted Marcos as him and the kids he was leading disappeared around a bend. Things were fine. Everything was fine. Akira took a deep breath, trying to relax herself as she kept walking, listening to the kids talk behind her. Only one more block to go. Everything would be fine.

Just as she was beginning to loosen her bundled nerves, Akira heard tires screech loudly as a car came to a skidding stop not far from them. Then there was another car and another and Akira felt like she was going to have a panic attack. It was Sentinel Service Vans.

The kids screamed as several agents exited the vehicles and started shouting orders, pointing their guns at them. Akira completely froze. "Put your hands up where we can see them!" The kids screamed louder, cowering around Akira and John. In the distance, Akira could hear more sirens and more screams. Had they cornered the others?

"Okay! We'll corporate!" John was shouting. "Yuki, put Lily down." Akira, robotically began to put her down but the officers shouted at her not to move.

"If you move, we'll shoot!" 

"These are just kids! You're going to shoot kids!" John was shouting. "Look at them! You're terrifying them!" John watched one of the officers radio something in. He tried to hear what she said and it sounded like a name but the kids screams drowned it out. "Yuki.." John said. He wanted to calm her down. She was clearly panicking but he didn't know what to say. 

A shot rang out, Lily screamed and before Akira could stop herself, she felt something cold and dark and deadly flow through her as the bullet slammed into the wall of the building behind them. Akira's irises flashed blue as she slowly set Lily down, simultaneously creating a wall of ice in front of them that was thick enough to stop bullets. 

Large clouds began to bluster in the sky, darkening the whole area and slowly large, sharp icicles formed in Akira's hands. Nobody had even noticed. John was too busy getting the kids to run down the rest of the way to the parking garage, to safety. Then, at breakneck speed, Akira threw the icicles. They ripped through the ice shielding and sailed straight through the window of a car, startling the agents half to death. Akira smirked.

"We need to go! Now!" John shouted, hustling everyone ahead of him so they could make a break for the bend in the street. "Yuki!" John shouted. "Yuki now!" But when John finally paused to look at her, something about her looked... Different.

Her stance was more confident. She was holding her head higher and with a giant peal of laughter, Akira slowly began to raise her hands. Around them the air shifted as Akira pulled on the water molecules and froze them, creating more large, jagged icicles and disintegrating the wall of ice, the only thing protecting them and the children.

"Yuki." John said. This time, she turned. Akira was smirking, rage and anger flickering in her blue eyes.

"Shall we make them pay Johnny?" The Sentinel Service Agents were cowering, nobody had even tried to shoot them as snow slowly began to fall around them. 

"Yuki no!" John shouted, but it was too late. With another wild laugh, Akira made the icicles rain down on top of the Agents in front of them. They all ducked for cover as she did, screaming. John grabbed Akira's arm and pulled her back but Akira just put her hand on top of his, nails digging into his skin. The cold sank into his bones and his arm began to turn blue. John tried to not lose his grip on her but the burn was too much. With a shout of pain, John let go of Akira and she laughed.

"Which one of you tried to kill that little girl?" Akira demanded, walking forward.

"Yuki stop!" John shouted, clutching at his arm as his enhanced healing abilities slowly kicked in to save him from getting Frostbite.

"Answer me!" Akira shouted. The Sentinel Agents opened fire but Akira wasn't close enough to them. The bullets didn't stick. The ones that did manage to touch her ice cold skin, froze and shattered immediately. Akira raised her hand and all the guns became covered in ice. The Agents dropped them in alarm. "Answer me or I'll kill every last one of you!"

"It was him!" A women shouted, pointing to a man on Akira's left. Akira just smirked. 

"No it wasn't." Akira raised her hands again and froze everyone to their spots. Ice encasing their shoes, marching up their legs and pinning them there. 

"Yuki what are you doing!" John demanded. "We need to leave now!" Akira simply laughed.

"Little ice princess didn't tell you did she?" Akira said, tauntingly. "Her name's not Yuki and I'm not her either. Call me, _Black Frost_." Ice rose up from the ground, jagged and bunched together, moving and flowing like liquid, Akira swept her hand out and the ice flung out flipping cars and cutting through the metal.

"Stop!" John shouted. Marcos and Lorna slowed down a little as the kids from Yuki and John's group rushed into them, terrified. Lorana's eyes went wide as she watched Akira.

"What the hell is she doing!" She shouted. 

"I don't know but I'll go help John. You get everyone else to safety." Marcos shouted before running towards their friends. Lorna wanted to argue but some of the kids were crying now. She had to get them out of here. At least Akira was distracting the Agents.

John grunted and tried to gain some feeling back into his arm by flexing his hand but his healing powers weren't working fast enough. In fact, the cold seemed to be getting worse. "Yuki, please." John begged. 

"That's not my name!" Black Frost shouted. John ground his teeth and shot forward as Black Frost turned around to attack again. The two fell to the ground and John, despite being unable to move most of one arm, was able to pin her to the ground, sitting on her stomach so she couldn't move.

"Who are you!" John shouted at her. Black Frost just laughed, the sound chilling John further.

"I'm **the devil inside**." Black Frost said, throwing John off of herself with a strength he didn't know she had. Black Frost stood just as Marcos reappeared.

"Don't make me do this." Marcos threatened, circling Black Frost slowly, hands glowing. Black Frost laughed loudly.

"You think you can stop me _Eclipse_?" Black Frost said. Storm clouds thundered above and the snow began to swirl around them faster and faster. "You have _no_ _idea_ how powerful I am." John looked up to the sky in awe. Akira had always been holding back. She would never show John how she could create a blizzard and John was afraid he was about to find out just how she did it. 

Hail started to rain down on them but it wasn't small pea sized balls, it was the size of baseballs and they were growing larger as a flurry of snow began to fall. Sentinel Services was pinned down now, several of them even looked unconscious. John could smell blood and wondered if that was Akira's doing. Off in the distance, John could hear the kids crying.

"Yuki stop this! You're scaring them! You're scaring Lily!" John shouted as Black Frost strutted towards the Agents, a wicked grin on her face. She only faltered when she heard John shout Lily's name. What was she even doing right now? John noticed the slight pause in step. "You're not like this! You're a good person. You don't want to do this." Black Frost ground her teeth, trying to keep her hold as she glanced over her shoulder at John.

"You don't know what I want. You don't even know who I am." John started to say something else but she was right. He didn't know her. He didn't know anything about her. Black Frost set her sights back on the Sentinel Service Agents and that's when John moved in to attack her. 

Black Frost dodged his first punch easily, sliding to her right as John tried to grab her arm. The blizzard around them picked up and John felt chilled to the bone as he watched Akira's light blue eyes turn a darker shade. "I could kill you." Black Frost said in a way that made John believe her. 

"But you won't Yuki." John said as he dodged an icy blast from her hand. "We're friends. You won't kill me." Black Frost smirked. Oh how wrong he was. John grabbed her upper arm and as soon as he did, Black Frost let the ice from her hands slowly creep up his arm. The cold burn made John half scream in pain. "Yuki please!" John shouted. The look on his face and the pleading tone was enough for Akira to snap back into the moment. The ice receded from John's arm but his grip didn't loosen. He couldn't tell yet if Akira was back. Her irises were still blue. 

"Wh-what happened?" Akira asked, dazed and confused. John's grip on her arms tightened a little. "John you're scaring me." Akira whispered. John looked deep into her eyes. Her irises were brown again and she looked just as scared and confused as John felt.

"Let's go!" Marcos shouted not too far away from them. His hands were lit up like headlights, the only thing visible in the storm. Akira waved her hand over her head and slowly, the blizzard began to recede. John sighed in relief.

"It's okay. We'll talk about it later Yuki. Right now we have to go." Akira nodded and John pulled her up to her feet. Together, they ran across to Marcos before continuing down the street to the parking garage.


	17. Blame

"She hasn't told you what the hell happened yesterday?" Marcos asked as he and John walked through the building. Everything was quiet, everyone was either asleep or on watch duty like the two of them were. John sighed heavily and shook his head.

"No. I have no idea what happened or who Black Frost is. She seemed like some sort of alter ego. It wasn't her at all Marcos." 

"Well it _was_ her it just didn't _act_ like her and why did Black Frost or whatever say that Yuki wasn't her real name?" Marcos asked. "I mean we kind of guessed that but.." John ground his teeth.

"I've been looking into that. Or at least, I've had Diana continue looking into it. From the little information I know about her, there was never a girl named Yuki with powers like hers in China, or Japan. Those are the two places she's mentioned living in before and I've had Diana look for her name elsewhere but.. Nothing."

"So she lied about her name, that's not so surprising. A lot of people do that." Marcos said.

"I know but..." John noticed the drop in temperature way before Marcos. His heightened sense immediately told him something was wrong as he glanced back down the hallway they had just come from. An ominous winter fog was leaking out from under Akira's door. "Oh shit." John said. Akira had been talking about this ever since they had rescued her but John never thought it would actually happen. 

He tried to open her bedroom door but it was frozen shut. "Shit." John shouted, banging hard on the wood. "Yuki! Yuki can you hear me?" Marcos' hands lit up as he tried to unfreeze the knob but John knew it would take too long and so, he slammed his shoulder into the door a couple of times and knocked it off of it's hinges. As the door fell away, a blast of cold air hit the two friends hard and they nearly crumpled under the sudden temperature drop. 

Akira's room was a mess. There was icicles hanging from the ceiling, snow piling up on the floor and jagged ice protruding from the walls and floors like Akira had lashed out at something that wasn't actually there. She was asleep on her bed, or at least what might have been where the bed used to be. Instead, Akira was thrashing around on a large, dense block of snow and ice. 

"Watashi o okizari ni shinaide kudasai." Akira cried out, reaching for someone that wasn't there. The snow thickened as she reached out "Watashi wa ī ko ni narimasu. Yakusoku shimasu." Akira begged as John touched her shoulder.

"Yuki! Wake up!" Marcos lit up the room, the snow and ice reflecting the light and brightening everything tenfold but it didn't wake Akira. John hesitated in hitting her to wake her up even though she had told him many times it was one of the only things that worked. 

"Gomen'nasai! Watashi o yurushite! Watashi o yurushitekudasai." Akira was crying, tears falling down her cheeks that froze immediately. 

"Yuki!" John shouted one last time. With a scream, Akira woke up. The windows shattered. The storm escaped her room and in no time at all, large storm clouds filled the sky and snow began to fall to the ground. 

"Iya! Iya! Yameru!" Akira shouted, Rushing to the window and putting her hands up, trying to calm the storm before it got out of hand. 

"Yuki." John said, touching her arm.

"Watashi ga suru koto ga dekimasu!" Yuki snapped at him. Her eyes were icy blue.

"I don't understand Yuki, calm down okay. You can stop this storm." John said but the sleet and ice in Akira's room was getting thicker, the snow outside deeper. She would never be able to stop this now.

"Oso sugiru..." Akira fumbled for the right English words and eventually managed to say. "No, if Sentinel Services is smart, they'll be here just as soon as they get a call. You all need to leave, _now_." 

"Not just us, you too. You're coming with us." John said. Akira shook her head. 

"No. This is my fault John. I can't be with you all anymore." Akira said, looking back out the window. "First I nearly freeze the city when you rescue me then I nearly killed those cops and now I've... I've just exposed where you've been hiding."

"Yuki it's fine. We never stay in these places for long anyways. W always keep moving so as to not draw attention to a certain area. Now _come_ with us." Akira said nothing, just kept holding her hands out the window a look of determination on her face but since her nerves were frazzled and her brain so mushy, there was no way she would be able to stop this storm right now. "Yuki." John said again. Akira took a deep breath and lowered her hands.

"Fine but as soon as we get to wherever we're going. I'm done. I'm gone John. I mean it this time."

"We'll talk about that later. Right now we need to get everyone moving." John said. Marcos was already gone, sounding the alarm. Akira looked around her room. Everything was frozen solid. She would have to leave it all. Except... Akira walked over to the bed and placed her palms flat down on the icy surface. She could do this. She could do this one thing. The ice slowly melted beneath her palms and John watched with slight pride as she was able to wrench free the stuffed polar bear from the icy block.

"Let's go." Akira murmured, grabbing up her backpack which was one of the only things not frozen in a block of ice. It was cold to the touch and covered in frost but that didn't bother Akira. "I'll make the storm bigger out front so we can escape around back."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll meet you out front okay." Akira nodded, shouldering the straps of her bags before disappearing down the stairs. John sighed heavily, hoping she would keep her word and still be out there when they all left this place. "Trevor!" John shouted, heading through the wide open floor of the building where a dozen or more people were running around, collecting useful items and trashing everything else. John spotted Diana unplugging all her computers with the help of Sam, wrapping them up carefully and storing them in boxes to take with them. Trevor appeared from the kitchen door, holding several cans of food he was probably helping pack away. 

"Yeah?"

"We're heading out the back. I need you to uncover the roads for us please. Yuki is out front making sure the storm is big enough that nobody can come through that end. Let's hope everyone forgot about the back entrance." Trevor half saluted him, tossed the cans back to whoever was in the kitchen and ran out one of the back doors. 

"Where are we headed?" Lorna said, appearing next to John looking more tired than angry at the moment. That would probably change in a couple of hours. "Did Marcos decide?" John shrugged.

"Don't know. I'll find him. It's probably best if we head to that abandoned bank. Diana looked at blueprints a while back. It's big enough for all of us." Lorna nodded. 

"Alright. I'll let everyone know." John started to turn around but Lorna wasn't finished. "And John, once this is over." He glanced back at her. "We need to all have a serious talk about Yuki or Black Frost or whoever she is." John ground his teeth.

"Fine." He muttered. 

In less than 30 minutes, the Mutant Underground was packed up and ready to go. Marco and Lorna had gone ahead with several others to scope out the place and everyone else would hit the roads and wait for an all clear signal. Diana, who was still running surveillance on her phone, explained that Sentinal Services was said to be on sight but they apparently couldn't get through the blizzard out front. 

"Yuki must really be doing a number on them." She said to John as she shouldered her bag and began to head out with some of the last remaining people in the building. John pursed his lips and glanced outside. The storm in front of them looked ferocious and while it was still partly wrapped around them, probably for the illusion that the whole area looked like this, John was worried that he also wouldn't be able to find Akira out there. Maybe she had already disappeared, slipped away. As soon John saw off the last group of Mutants, he headed outside in search for her.

To John's surprise, Akira wasn't that hard to spot. She was standing out in the open field where John first found her the day she had frozen half of the kitchen. John approached slowly and Akira turned around to see who was approaching when she heard the crunching of dry grass. "Everyone's left or leaving Yuki and we should too." Akira nodded, slowly lowering her hands. "I kind of thought you wouldn't be here."

"I didn't think I would be either." John took a deep breath.

"Come on, let's go." Akira nodded and followed John to his car. 

* * *

"Nobody is mad at you Yuki. I promise." Akira set her jaw, bag still on her back as she refused to step inside.

"There's nowhere else to place the **blame** John." 

"Just come inside, please, talk to us." 

"I'm done talking. It was stupid of me to think I could stay here with her inside of me."

"Who? Black Frost? Who is she Yuki?" Akira shook her head. Why did he keep calling her that. That wasn't even her name. 

"She's me and I'm no good."

"Stop that. You are good. You're a good person."

"Goos intentions don't mean _shit_ John."

"Yes they do now please come inside, talk to us. Talk to me. I know there's more to you than you're telling us."

"Of course there is John I just... I don't want you to look at me any different than you are now because if you do..." Akira took a large, shaky breath. "If you do I don't think I'll be able to handle it." John took a deep breath.

"I won't look at you any different."

"Yes you will." Akira said glumly. 

"Can we please discuss this tomorrow morning? Please come inside with me." Akira said nothing, just kept standing there. "I won't stop asking Yuki. Please come inside." 

"One last night and then I'm gone, tomorrow morning John. I'm serious." John exhaled slowly. It was a start. Lorna and Marcos was waiting for them as they stepped inside together. everyone was was busy setting up the new base or heading back off to bed to sleep off that night's events.

"Home Sweet Home." John murmured, dropping his bag down onto the hardwood floor.


	18. Sharpen

From the moment Akira was born, her parents were afraid.

Despite the emergency C-Section Mrs. Lim had undergone, their daughter was stillborn, her umbilical cord tied tight around her neck. "My baby!" Mrs. Lim wailed in Japanese. "My little Akira!" The doctors and nurses murmured out their apologies as Mr. Lim squeezed his wife's hand tightly. "Let me see her. I need to see her." The doctors slowly handed Akira off and Mrs. Lim cried out in fear and pain. Her third child, her only daughter had blue skin and a tuft of snow white hair on her head. "Wh-what happened?" Mrs. Lim cried clutching her daughter to her chest. She was cold. So very, very cold. Nobody said anything as Mrs. Lim held her daughter and cried.

Then suddenly, a sharp shrill emanated from the child on her chest. With a shout of her own, Mrs. Lim held her daughter up so she could look at her. Akira was crying, screaming. The doctors took her out of Mrs. Lim's arms and rushed her away while her mother screamed at them. "What is happening! Is my baby alive!"

The doctors would not answer her parents questions. Every time they opened their mouths the nurses would say the same thing. "We don't know anything yet. The doctors are still with her." Mr. and Mrs. Lim were wracked with anxiety. Finally, when the doctor returned he looked wearier and was shivering. Mrs. Lim sat up.

"Where is my baby, Doctor?"

"She is alive."

"I want to see her right now." The doctor nodded and Mrs. Lim was put in a wheelchair, pushed by her husband so the doctor could take them to their child.

"Prepare yourselves Mr. and Mrs. Lim." The doctor said slowly. Mrs. Lim didn't know what he meant. What did they have to prepare for? When the doctor opened the door to the room though, they could hear Akira crying and what they saw surprised them immensely. It was like a miniature wonderland in this hospital room. Icicles hung from the ceiling and snow was piled up on the floor and in a hospital crib in the middle of the room with three nurses bundled up in endless coats, was Akira, beating her tiny fists against her blanket, a steady stream of ice escaping her clenched hands.

"My baby." Mrs. Lim said in disbelief, standing and immediately walking towards Akira across the snow. Her husband and the doctor tried to stop her but she pushed the nurses out of the way and picked up her baby girl who immediately stopped crying upon being in her mothers arms. Mrs. Lim started to sing a lullaby quietly and as Akira listened, she slowly calmed down and eventually, the ice began to melt.

"What is happening to our child?" Mrs. Lim asked, even though she already had an idea of what was taking place. The doctor carefully made his way towards her through the puddles of water.

"It's the X- gene Mrs. Lim. Your child is a mutant."

"There has to be some mistake. She can't have the x-gene. None of us have it." Mr. Lim said with a hint of anger. "This can't possibly be our child."

"Shut up." Mrs. Lim said, trying not to agitate their child as she continued to rock Akira in her arms. "She looks just like you. Come see for yourself." And Mrs. Lim was right. Now that her skin was no longer blue, Akira looked just as Mr. Lim did as a baby.

"We matched her DNA to the both of you." The doctor explained. "She is your daughter."

"Then what happened?" Mr. Lim demanded.

"Genetics." A man said, stepping into the room. "My name is Dr. Yu and I'm an X-Gene geneticist."

"Dr. Yu is one of the best scientists in Japan and he also happens to work for our hospital." The doctor explained.

"What you are all seeing here is a rare case indeed." Dr. Yu said, approaching Mrs. Lim and Akira. "It has long since been thought that X-genes lie dormant in everyone's genes. I have been going back over your family history Mr. and Mrs. Lim and I found that several decades ago, your great- great-great grandfather was a mutant Mr. Lim."

"That's impossible!" Mr. Lim shouted. Dr. Yu smiled softly at Akira.

"Your family might try to erase him from your history but he is there. I assure you Mr. Lim and it explains why you daughter is now exhibiting the X-gene."

"I thought mutants don't get their powers until they're teenagers." Mrs. Lim said softly, thinking back to the ice wonderland they had all witnessed.

"In most cases yes but their are some instances where children are born with their mutations usually due to great stress or simply, if they have a very powerful mutation. I think the shock of being born along with the umbilical cord around her neck is what triggered her mutation."

"So what do we do now?" Mrs. Lim asked. Dr. Yu looked at her kindly.

"Love her and care for her the best you can."

* * *

At five years old, with hair white as snow, Akira was an easy target for bullies in her class. But after flash freezing the playground because the other kids stressed her out to the point where she started to cry and freeze everything she touched, everyone mostly left her alone. There would still be the occasional shove in the hallway or the pulling of hair and general angry glares but nobody talked to Akira.

The only people who actually kind of liked her were her two older brothers. Before Akira, her brothers were fairly popular at school, both athletes and geniuses in their own rights but once Akira started school with them, things changed a little. Suddenly, her brothers were the brunt end of insults and jabs. But Hioshi and Eiji took everything into stride. Akira was their sister after all and they loved her and her weird powers. Because of this, they were frequently sent to detention for starting fights with other kids.

"Why must you be bad boys?" Their mother would always yell at them. "Why can't you behave yourselves?"

"Everyone picks on Akira." Hitoshi would say. He was the oldest at fifteen and Eiji would nod with his brother.

"We're protecting our family name mother." Eiji would say as Akira would cry, clinging to their mothers skirt and begging her not to punish her brothers. Mrs. Lim would always sigh and dismiss the boys before trying to comfort Akira so she would freeze something in their apartment again.

"You can learn to control this little one." Mrs. Lim always said, smoothing down her daughters hair even though the cold burned her hands. "You're strong. If you can freeze something, you can unfreeze it. It's simple." Akira tried to listen to her mothers advice but it was hard knowing that her father hated what she was.

* * *

The day Akira froze all of Japan is a day that nobody has been able to forget and a day Akira remembers vividly. As usual, Akira was playing by herself, creating small snow piles in a secluded corner of the playground so she could make snowmen. It was an unusually humid day in Japan and the heat made Akira uncomfortable. The only way she could cope was if she used her powers. That's when the trouble started.

"Look at the little Ice Princess." Emica taunted. She was one of the only people that was brave enough to approach Akira. The last time somebody had, they ended up with a bad case of frostbite but that never stopped Emica. "Playing all by herself like a loser!" Haruana and Katsu laughed with Emica as Akira tried to ignore them. "You don't look so tough. Is that all you can make! Sludgy piles of snow?" Emica approached and grabbed a fist full of snow, shucking it right at Akira's face who winced as the sharp ice hit her.

"Leave me alone." Akira said softly, trying not to cry. Now that Hioshi was in high school and Eiji no longer out during the same recess as her, Akira was left to defend herself on her own.

"What was that? Did the little Ice baby say something?" Emica taunted, picking up more snow to throw. Haruana and Katsu followed suit, all three of them laughing as they threw snow at Akira. "What you gonna cry Ice Baby. Do you need your brothers to protect you?" Akira started to cry. "If I was your parents, I would have killed you the moment I saw you. If I was your brothers I would hate you." Inside of herself, Akira felt something shift and **sharpen** and crack. Akira stretched her hands out slowly and the piles of snow increased as dark clouds began to swirl around in the sky.

"Be. Quiet." Akira said in a scream. Ice started to seep out of Akira and rush across he ground, covering grass, pavement, and even coating the buildings. Akira screamed, feeling all of her rage and sadness and hatred for herself stretch out of her and out into the open sky. A blizzard swirled around Akira and at six years old, Akira wondered if this represented her tortured emotions. Part of her loved her powers. Part of her hated them. Every part of her feared them though. Akira knew she was holding back each time she accidentally froze something. She could feel something pushing inside of her, telling her to let go, telling her to cover the whole world in ice.

When Eiji saw the dark clouds and snowfall, he knew it was Akira immediately. He raced out of his classroom, desperately searching for his sister in the sleet and snow as people screamed and tried to rush inside all around him. Eiji found Akira in the playground, hair whipping around her and in front of Akira was Emica, Haruana and Katsu, all three of them frozen to death. Eiji knew he would end up like them if he didn't get Akira to stop.

"Akira! What are you doing!" Eiji shouted over the wind.

"They called me a wimp! They said mother and father should have killed me! They said you hated me!" Akira roared. Eiji fell to his knees, almost blue with cold now.

"We don't hate you Akira! We love you, Hioshi, mom, dad and I love you Akira! Stop please before you hurt someone else!" Someone else? Akira looked to her brother and saw how his teeth chattered and how frost was covering every inch of him. Then she looked next to him where three frozen bodies lay. Akira screamed in horror and just like that, fainted dead away. Eiji managed to catch his sister and although he was still cold and shaking, he carried her out of school and all the way home.

When Akira awoke, she was in a very different environment than she had remembered. Hioshi was staring at her grimly. "Good, you're awake."

"Aniki?" Akira murmured, rubbing at her eyes. Her brother says nothing as he disappears through a curtain and brings back a roll of bread. He hands it to her lightly and Akira takes it, confused.

"Eat up. We'll be there soon." Akira wanted to ask him what he meant but he disappeared again. That's when Akira realized that everything was moving. They were inside some sort of vehicle and Akira had been sleeping on top of a pile of suitcases. Akira ate her bread quietly and when her mother emerged, she jumped up.

"Momma! What's happening? Where are we going?" Mrs. Lim smiled faintly at her daughter.

"We're heading for China my little one, where no one will be able to find you."

"W-what do you mean?" Akira asked. Mrs. Lim sighed.

"My darling girl, you plunged Japan into an eternal winter." Akira stared at her mother in shock. "Not long after your... Incident, the island of Japan began to freeze, along with all the water within twenty feet of it's shore. Your father, brothers, and us managed to get out before the island was closed in completely."

"G-get out?" Akira said, confused.

"Do you remember anything that happened sweetheart?" Akira slowly shook her head. She couldn't remember anything. The last memory she had was of Emica throwing a snowball at her face. Mrs. Lim smiled sadly.

"It will be okay little one." Mrs. Lim said quietly, kissing Akira's forehead lightly. "Everything will be okay once we get to China.

But nothing was going to be okay. Nothing would be okay ever again.


	19. Echoes

When Akira was seven, her mother revealed to the family that she was pregnant. It was the first good news Akira had heard in a long time. Ever since her and her family had escaped Japan, Akira had become a tightly kept secret. Her parents and brothers went by different names, Chinese names, and they all lived in a one bedroom apartment in one of the poorer districts. Akira had not been allowed in or out of the apartment since they first arrived and her brothers were forbidden to speak about her to anyone. As far as anyone knew, the Lim's (now the Huang's) were a family of four.

Akira actually didn't mind not going to school, staying inside all day. She would watch the TV on low while her family was away or she would draw and read and do some of the worksheets her mom would create for her as part of some basic schooling. But Akira did get lonely and sad, knowing she had ruined her families lives. They had tried to keep the truth hidden from her, but they couldn't censor the news from Akira.

She was a wanted criminal in Japan, her school photo and a photo of her and her whole family was constantly circulating through the news. Because of this, her mother was forced to cut her long hair into a short bob, Eiji had to discard his glasses, and Hioshi even bleached his hair blond just so he wouldn't be recognized at school.

Scientists and other experts on mutants didn't sound optimistic when they talked about the unfreezing of Japan. The icy waters had managed to be been broken apart but the dark swirling clouds above the entire country were ever present. Snow fell at least once a week and the rest of the time, the people of Japan had to deal with constant sleet, hail and icy winds. "The only way this will stop is if Akira Lim returns and undoes the damage herself." But Akira couldn't. She had been practicing trying to unfreeze things to no avail. She just couldn't control it.

Akira was overjoyed by the news that she would no longer being the youngest member of her family but then fear seized her heart. Akira knew that her father held a deep seeded hatred for her and Akira also knew that Hioshi felt resentment towards her for being forced to leave his life behind. Would this new brother feel the same way they did? Could he come to love her and her powers? 

The day that her mother brought Koji home, was one Akira spent in great worry, pacing back and forth by the door, practically skating as her feet created layers of ice underneath her. When her mother walked through the front door with a small bundle in her arms, Akira leaped over to meet him. Her father held out his hand though. "Don't come closer Akira. Koji is small and I don't want you to hurt him." Akira froze, bottom lip trembling. She just wanted to see him. She wanted to see her little brother. Her mother glared at her husband and immediately walked towards Akira and bent down a little.

"Here he is Akira, your baby brother Koji." Akira peered into the blanket, smiling widely.

"He's so cute." Akira said softly, poking Koji's little cheek. She watched her baby brother yawn and snuggle further into their mothers arms. Akira's heart soared. The ice in the apartment began to melt, disappearing back into their individual molecules until there wasn't a remnant of a puddle.

* * *

"Onēsan!" Koji trilled out, rushing through the apartment before jumping straight onto Akira's lap. Akira laughed loudly, no longer worried about being quiet while she and Koji were alone in the house. As far as their neighbors knew, she was Koji's babysitter. "Onēsan!" Koji shouted again. "Can we please go outside today! Why can't we go out together. You never ever leave this place." Akira smiled lightly. Exercise and freedom were important to kids, especially kids his age. At five years old, Koji was active and curious and completely adored his older sister.

Unlike their father, Koji loved Akira's powers. His nickname for her had become "Aisupurinsesu" or Ice Princess. He would often say that he wanted to be like her when he was older which would always anger their father but Koji didn't let this bother him. Akira had been helping to take care of him ever since she was seven years old and she loved him to death.

"I'm sorry Koji. We can't go outside today." Koji groaned, rolling onto his back on her lap.

"But it's so nice outside today! Can't we go out even a little bit? Just to the front and then we'll come back inside." Akira shook her head. In the seven years that they had been in China, Akira had never once stepped foot outside the door and at this point, she was too scared too.

"You can go out with momma later Koji or Hioshi if he comes by." Koji stuck his tongue out at her and rolled off her lap, racing back to he bedroom to go get one of his toys. Akira sighed heavily. As soon as Hioshi was old enough, he had moved out of the one bedroom apartment and Eiji was planning on going with him the following year. Akira's relationship with her whole family was pretty strained. Her brothers barely spoke to her and their father could barely look at her, especially not after her mini panic attack that nearly exposed their whole family to everyone in China.

Japan had just started to unfreeze, patches of sunlight were breaking through the clouds and people were optimistic that by the end of the year, the winter would be finally over. Akira was glad for this but with all the news reports out recently, there was a higher risk of her being caught. People might begin to recognize her parents, her brothers. People might start to ask questions. There was a very high reward for her capture after all. Koji still didn't understand why Akira couldn't go outside. He didn't understand that Akira was dangerous, a threat. Akira dreaded the day that he would come to resent her too.

With a sigh, Akira headed for the restroom and when she emerged, she went into the bedroom to look for Koji. He had been unusually quiet. "Koji!" Akira called out, stepping into the room. She didn't immediately see him but that wasn't alarming. Koji loved to play hide and seek. Akira checked all the usual places, the hamper, under the bed and in the closet. When she came up with nothing, that's when Akira began to panic, frost leaking out of her palms as she tried to think of where Koji would have gone.

 _ **Outside**_. A voice echoed in the back of her mind. Akira immediately went to check if Koji's shoes were still by the front door and she nearly screamed when she saw that they weren't and that the front door was ajar. How had she not noticed when she was tearing apart the living room and kitchen? Akira knew she couldn't just stay in the apartment. That was her little brother out there, her responsibility, the only thing her parents entrusted her with.

Acting fast, Akira put on a pair of her brothers old shoes before tying up her noticeably white hair. She scrounged through the closet again, looking for some type of hat to cover her head. Akira finally settled on a beanie despite the heat of the summer and rushed out of the apartment. Akira's head spun as she descended the stairs. She hadn't seen other people besides her family in years and seeing nearly a dozen at once was enough to overwhelm her. But Akira forged ahead. Koji couldn't have gone far.

As Akira stumbled out of the front gate of their apartment complex, she spotted Koji immediately, sitting on a bus bench and swinging his legs. Akira rushed towards him. "Koji!" She shouted. "What are you doing! You scared me!" Koji was beaming at her though.

"I thought it would be nice if we got out of the apartment. Isn't it pretty outside!" Akira was hyperventilating though, the ground beneath her feet freezing over.

"We need to go back inside now." A car honked and Akira jumped. She could hear people talking around them, staring at them, pointing at the ground. The noise outside grew louder and louder and seemed to eclipse. Akira stumbled and passed out onto the cold concrete.

When Akira came too, she saw the unsmiling face of her father. Akira leapt up, startled. They were back in their apartment and Akira could hear Koji crying somewhere softly. "Wh-what.."

"You ungrateful, good for nothing piece of shit!" Her father snapped. Akira stared at him in surprise. She knew she he hated her but he had never verbally said it. "How could you let your brother just walk out of here! You abomination! You disgrace!" Akira's mother rushed into the room, inserting herself between her daughter and her husband.

"Don't you talk to her like that! She is our daughter!" Akira watched her father strike her mother and she cried out in fear.

"She is no daughter of mine!" There was a beat of silence and slowly, Akira watched her mother raise her hand.

"You're the one with an X-gene." Her fathers face was red with anger and he screamed, hitting her mother again and again until she fell.

"Mom!" Akira screamed. Hioshi and Eiji barged into the room. They had probably been sitting back there with Koji, only emerging when they heard the screams. Eiji glared at Akira who was shaking badly, clouds of vapor billowing around her as she began to cry.

"Don't you start that shit Akira." Hioshi snapped at her as he and Eiji went to pull their father off of their mother. "This is all your fault. Everything is your fault!"

"No!" Akira wailed. "No! No! No!" She shouted, closing her eyes and falling to her knees as she sobbed bitterly. But she knew they were right. This was all her fault. If she had simply died instead of mutating, none of this would be happening right now. She would be a distant memory in her parents minds, a small sadness, a blip they would celebrate on the anniversary of her birth/death. If she had simply died, Koji could have a normal life, a normal family. Instead, she had ruined everything.

Akira didn't know how long it took her to notice but as she tried to stop crying, calm her breathing, she realized that the room was deathly silent. No one was shouting anymore. Not her parents or her brothers. Everything was dead quiet. Akira opened her eyes and screamed.

The entire apartment was a winter landscape. Large shards of ice were growing out of her and snow was still settling down around the room. But that wasn't why Akira screamed. She had screamed because her parents, her brothers were blue and covered in ice and snow, dead. She could barely make out their faces but she could tell her mother was reaching for her. She could the terror in Eiji's body language. What had she done? What had she done?

"Koji!" Akira screamed, standing up, praying the ice hadn't spread like it did in Japan. "No, no." Akira whispered as she slowly walked down the hallway, seeing the icicles glinting in the low light. "Koji." Akira said, voice shaky, eyes filled with tears. Akira almost didn't want to push open the door but she knew she had to. Ice cracked as she shoved the door open. Akira fell to her knees again.

There, on the bed was her little brother, curled up in a ball surrounded by layers of ice. Akira started to sob into her hands. She was a monster, an animal. She had killed her whole family. She needed to turn herself in. She needed her pain to end. As Akira cried though, trying to think of what to do, siren sounds started to pierce the air. Had someone called the cops on her and her family? It would only make sense. Akira slowly stood, ready to give herself up and went to the window, shoving it open. Through her tears, Akira stared down at the emergency vehicles coming to a screeching halt on the street. She was about to shout to them, tell her that she was the one she wanted until Akira noticed something. The entire outside of the building was covered in ice and snow.

Akira walked numbly out of her apartment, past the frozen bodies that were once her family and wrenched open the apartment door. She was immediately greeted by the frozen body's of their neighbors, who Akira assumed was coming to see if everything was alright. Akira just hadn't frozen their small apartment space she was realizing. She had frozen the entire building.

A dark laugh emanated from some unseen source and Akira whipped around, looking for whoever was laughing. Was someone else alive in here? "Oh boohoo Akira. So what if you killed your family. They never loved you anyways." The voice sneered. The voice sounded like Akira's but it was too mean.

"Who are you!" Akira shouted, turning around again. Behind her was a girl and Akira had to rub her eyes to make sure she was seeing things correctly because she was standing in front of... Herself.

"I'm you." Akira felt a chill run down her spine. "You want to give yourself up. You want to die? Are you fucking serious? You're finally free now Akira. You can do whatever the fuck you want."

"Shut up." Akira said. "I just killed my family, everyone in this building! You're just a figment of my imagination."

"No I'm not. I'm real and I'm here." Akira felt the second version of her touch her shoulder. "and we need to leave."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"They'll do more than just try to kill you Akira. They'll torture you, experiment on you. That's what they do to Mutant prisoners." Akira shook her head.

"No, I can't just run away."

"That's all you've ever wanted to do Akira!" The second version shouted at her. "You've always wanted to run away, disappear, let your family move on but you were too fucking scared to do it. Well, now you have no choice."

"I'm going to turn myself in."

"No you're not." The second Akira said. Akira was about to reiterate that she was until she watched the second Akira's hand sink into her shoulder. Akira screamed as Black frost took over her body.

Akira watched helplessly as Black Frost made her grand escape. She froze the emergency vehicles and attacked police and passerby's alike. She was ruthless, deadly, unstoppable. Eventually, it was all too much for Akira to bear. Closing her eyes, shutting everything out of her mind, Akira felt herself fall backwards into the darkness. When she awoke next, it was because the sun was beating down on her, making Akira warm.

She was wearing different clothes now and there was a backpack on her back and one at her feet. Akira blinked rapidly, trying to regain her bearings. She didn't recognize where she was, other than the fact that she was outside at what appeared to be a train stop. There was a hat pulled down low over her head and Akira could feel the wind on the back of her neck. Akira unclenched her fist, feeling the slip of paper inside of it.

**Hope you enjoyed your nap. We're in Russia, heading for Europe. Stay hidden Akira, anonymous. Find us someplace cold to stay.**   
**-BF**

Akira shuddered. Russia? She was in Russia? Akira quickly learned that Black Frost had been busy, causing havoc across China as she stole cars, supplies and illegally boarding trains. Black Frost had chopped off all of her hair, leaving Akira with a short white bob that was easy to hide in beanies and hats.

Akira was surprised that nobody asked her too many questions as she silently bought train tickets with stolen money. Why did nobody care that a thirteen year old girl was traveling by herself? Akira hardly slept as she made her journey through Russia and into Europe. Occasionally, Black Frost would take over, usually when she felt Akira wasn't strong enough to do what needed to be done, like steal or fight off predators.

Akira tried not to think of her family, tried not to think about what happened. She just tried to keep moving forward. She kept pushing herself, looking for an isolated piece of the world to call her own. Without meaning to, Akira ended up in Greenland and then, the middle of the ocean, drifting on a large slab of ice she had created for herself as she tried to forget the **echoes** of her family.


	20. Mistake

Akira could sense John just outside the room she was in. She really hoped he wouldn't come in but this was inevitable. Akira hadn't meant to stay the night. She had planned to sneak off, to disappear without a trace but she was drained of energy, physically and emotionally and when she finally found a secluded part of the building, Akira hunkered down and fell asleep. John had probably used his tracking powers to find her. That or he followed the trail of ice that Akira had probably accidentally exuded. 

John heard Akira's heart rate pick up and knew that she was awake. He took a deep breath and slowly knocked on the side wall, listening for Akira to say that it was okay to come in. Her voice was quiet but John still heard her say, "Come in John." He entered slowly, concern written all over his face. John wasted no time.

"I need to ask you something."

"I know." Akira murmured as John pulled over an old, weather chair. Akira had sheltered in an old office space, curling up on an old rug in the middle of the floor. "But I wish you wouldn't." John leaned forward in the chair a little as he watched Akira's bottom lip tremble as she started to cover her face with her hands. 

"Yuki, you know I have to ask." Akira swallowed hard, shaking her head.

" _Please_ stop calling me that. You already know it's not my name." Akira whispered. She should have left. She should have gone back to the Arctic like she intended. She didn't think this would be so hard. 

"Well what else am I supposed to call you?" John asked lightly. 

"She told you my name. Just call me Black Frost." John shook his head.

"That's not who you are and.." He smiled, trying to make a joke. "I don't know what Black Frost means."

"It's _me_. It's who I am John."

"That person I saw yesterday isn't you."

"It is John. The sooner you accept that, the easier this all becomes." Akira said softly.

"The easier what becomes?" Akira shook her head, not wanting to explain herself.

"Yuki we need..."

"John _please_." Akira begged. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Help me out here then. What's your real name because I don't know what else to call you." John said softly. Akira was crying, John was amazed that her frazzled emotions hadn't stirred up some sort of blizzard.

"Akira." She finally managed to say. "My real name is Akira Lim."

* * *

Akira was sitting in a chair in front of Marcos, Lorna, John, Diana and Riley. Diana was there so she could run a check on Akira's backstory and Riley was there so he could have all the information about Akira so he could have a better understanding of the probabilities.

"So, Akira Lim." Marcos said, scratching the back of his head. "I... I heard of you as a kid. You were part of the reason my dad was convinced that I would become a menace to society, a danger." Akira shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"Sorry." Akira said softly.

"Don't be." Lorna said. "I heard about you as a kid too. I always thought you were... Bad ass." Lorna said with a small smile. Even though most everyone in the room was older than Akira, they had all heard about what she had done in Japan. It had been a national crisis, a story almost as big as 7/15 in America.

"Everyone assumed you were killed or captured a long time ago." Diana said as she scanned through reports on Akira and her escape from the Chinese government. "Nobody would take responsibility or admit that they had you and... People left it at that." Akira nodded.

"After I froze Japan, my family and I fled to China. My father had always resented me and my powers but now... He hated me." Akira said softly. "My two older brother's would also come to despise me. They had once protected me from bullies, fought anyone who teased me and after... After I killed those 3 girls on the playground, they never looked at me the same."

"How did it happen?" John said lightly. Akira took a deep breath.

"I was six John and I was scared. For a long time I repressed the memory of what I had done but... That kind of stuff always resurfaces." Akira sighed. "As far as I can remember, they were telling me that my parents should have killed, that my brothers hated me. I was crying, making snow and they kept throwing it at me and I just... I snapped. Something inside of me broke open and I haven't been able to put it back together since then."

"How did your family get out of Japan?" Diana asked. "The Japanese government was never certain."

"That... That was all my mom. She knew my powers were... Incredible and so she planned ahead in case an... Incident ever happened. She bought us fake passports and ID's and convinced a man with a boat that should we ever need to, he would take us to China as stowaways." Akira shook her head. "When we got to shore... My mother killed him. Shot him in the head. I didn't think she was capable of that kind of thing. My father, my brother's, they were stunned and my mom said _'This is for Akira. We have to protect her.'_ My mom loved me more than _anything_ , despite how dangerous I was." Akira paused. "After all these years, I don't even know who the man was or if he had a family. I try not to think about it."

"How did your family keep you hidden in China? Everyone was looking for you and China is only a stones throw away from Japan." Lorna said. Akira shrugged.

"My family bought an apartment and... I never stepped foot out of it. They had changed their last names to Huaong and cut their hair or bleached it. They tried to change their appearance. As far as everyone knew, the Huaong's didn't have a daughter."

"And it worked?" Riley said. The probability in his head told him otherwise but he thought he should ask anyways.

"Yes. It worked for 6 years and then..." A sound caught in Akira's throat and her eyes filled with tears that spilled down her cheeks. "My baby brother." She never said his name anymore. "He... He adored me, just like my mom and he wanted... He wanted to go outside but I couldn't. I left him alone for one minute." John took a deep breath and went and sat next to Akira.

"It's okay." He said softly, touching her shoulder.

"He left the apartment." Akira said, trying to keep a steady voice as she continued to cry. "I chased after him and had a panic attack in the street. I'd been locked up for nearly a decade so seeing people, hearing cars and all that noise... I couldn't handle it." Akira shook her head. "When I came to, my father was there and he finally... He finally told me everything he thought about me. How I was a burden, useless, good for nothing. My mother tried to protect me. She was always trying to protect me and my dad had had enough. He started to hit her." Akira stopped, voice wavering off as she brushed at the tears on her cheeks. 

"You don't have to... Tell us everything right now." Lorna said. "Don't push yourself."

"I have too though. I've never faced what I did. I've never talked about it. That's why Black Frost exists. I need to say this. I need to get this out." Akira said. John wanted to take her hand in his, lace their fingers together but he restrained himself. "My older brothers tried to stop my father but even they... Even they said that this was my fault. They said everything bad that had ever happened to our family, started the day I was born and just like in Japan I... I lost control. I didn't even realize it. I was crying so hard and then suddenly... I realized that everything was _deathly_ quiet." Akira stopped talking, shuddering as she remembered the looks on her parents faces, how small her brother looked. 

"You froze an entire ten story building." Diana said, she couldn't read the Chinese texts on the newspapers but numbers are universal. Akira nodded slowly, glancing towards Diana's computer screen. The building was just as she remembered it, still solidly frozen in her memories. 

"I was going to turn myself in. I knew I would probably be killed for what I did but I think my mind... Broke. That's the first time Black Frost appeared. She was... Another me, another physical person it seemed like. She told me to run away, that I was free like I had always wanted but I wanted to be free _with_ my family not... Not what actually happened." 

"Who is she? Who is Black Frost." Marcos said, even though he and everyone else had a pretty good guess of who she was.

"Black Frost is a product of what I can only assume is all of my guilt, anger, sadness over what I've done to to others and what I did to my family, to all of those people in the building. I tried to soldier on. I tried to convince myself that it wasn't my fault and when that didn't work, I internalized all of it. I thought that, if I was going to be a monster, then I better be a fucking stone cold killer. That's who Black Frost is. She's everything I hate about myself manifested. She's far more powerful than me and sometimes she takes control." 

"How often?" John said. Riley nearly answered him.

"It... It seemed pretty frequent those first couple years out in the Arctic by myself. I don't usually remember what happens when Frost takes over. She's in complete control of my mind, my body. It's like I blackout and when I come to... Everything is different." Akira shook her head, trying not to think of her family anymore. "As the years stretched on she was less of an occurrence. I guess she figured I had gotten pretty good at fending for myself." Akira said softly. "I can't get rid of her. I've tried."

"How?" John said. Akira didn't reply.

"You just need some therapy to... Work through everything." Lorna said. Akira shook her head.

"This isn't some simple **mistake** I made. I murdered 3 girls when I was six years old and 65 more people when I was twelve. I-I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't even... I can't-" Akira started to cry again and nobody knew what to say. 

"You were just a kid." John said softly. 

"Does that excuse it? What about all those cops? What about all of you? How many times have I put you in danger? _Me_ , not Black Frost. I shouldn't _be_ here anymore. I don't want to hurt anyone else. I need to go home."

"We can't help you if you leave Akira." Marcos said.

"Help me? _Nobody_ can help me." Akira snapped at him. "I wanted to let John help me learn control, hoping I might learn to hold her back as well but she's _stronger_ than me. She's _better_ than me. If I let go. If I let her loose. You will _never_ be able to stop her."

"Why not?" Lorna said.

"Because Black Frost just wants to protect me and if she has to ice the whole world to do it, she will." Akira said, a hard look on her face, one final tear sliding down her cheek as she frowned at the group of friends. 

"Black Frost?" Marcos said slowly. "How'd you come up with that?" Akira sighed.

"I didn't. My mother told me about it once. It's a non-visible frost that turns vegetation black." Akira paused. "She was tired of me killing her flowers." John looked to Marco and Lorna and watched them both cross their arms over their chests.

"Akira... Look." John said slowly. "I know you're worried about Black Frost. I know you feel like you can't stay here but even if you're in the Arctic there is still the possibility that Black Frost might manifest again."

"N-no." Akira said slowly. "She only appears when I'm in danger and get angry or scared."

"Akira... What happened when you were captured in the Arctic." Akira cringed. "You told everyone you surrendered peacefully but Diana found..."

"I didn't want to scare anyone, okay." Akira snapped at him. "Black Frost emerged. She created an intense blizzard that is probably still wrecking havoc across Greenland. She fought back. She tried to kill people and the only reason she didn't was because I heard... I heard someone say that they didn't want to die." 

"So you can control her, to some degree." Akira shook her head.

"I can only reign her back in every now and then when I hear something that shocks me or someone snaps me out of it. It's... It's not a science though."

"Which is why you need to stay here, work through some things and figure out how to get rid of Black Frost or at least... Lower the chances of her appearing." Lorna said. "that's where Riley comes in."

"There's a 0.12% chance of Black Frost right now." Everyone gave him a funny look and Akira almost laughed. "What? I thought that was my cue or something. You said you wanted updates on Akira's second personality. Lorna shook her head. 

"The point is Akira..." Lorna's speech was interrupted by a small Alarm sound emanating from Diana's computers. Diana frowned, scanning through the Mutant Alert.

"What's happening?" Marcos asked. Diana sighed, turning around in her seat.

"It's Firestorm again." Everyone in the room stiffened and Akira looked around confused.

"Who is Firestorm?" 


	21. Firestorm

"His real name is Devlin Jackson. At seventeen his powers manifested after an intense argument with his mother. Their house caught fire and Devlin's mother died tragically. Before the police and other first responders realized he was a mutant, they all thought it was a miracle that he had survived a blaze that intense." Diana said pulling up the criminal profile of a guy with devilish green eyes and black hair that hung low in his eyes. He was smirking at the camera. 

"Looks like a punk." Akira said. John smirked.

"He is." Lorna said. "He was in Foster care for a year seeing as he had no other family or friends to speak of. When he was out, he went to the streets."

"He was a petty arsonist. Setting fire to buildings, walking in and stealing things and then he upped the anti." Marcos said with a shake of his head.

"He would chaos havoc just for the sake of it." Diana continued. "Setting fire to buildings, burning people alive. It's all a game to him. It's fun. Sentinel Services has only captured him once with devastating consequences and he escaped from their facilities days later anyways." 

"So... what are we going to do?" Akira asked. Everyone shared a look.

"Nothing." John finally said. "We can barely get close to him. The heat he generates is so intense he can melt rubber, and metal and give you third degree burns without even physically touching you." John said with a shake of his head. 

"But... If he's going to hurt people.. Kill them... Then we should try to stop him right?" Everyone looked away from Akira's inquisitive gaze. "Right?" Akira demanded. John put his hand on her shoulder.

"Honestly Yu... Akira, none of us have ever been powerful enough to stop him." Akira glanced back at John over her shoulder.

"Well I am. I can stop him."

"Akira..." Marcos said slowly.

"I can do it. I know I can. Unstoppable powers of ice against unstoppable powers of fire, who do you think would win?" Akira asked.

" **Firestorm** would win." Lorna said after a moments hesitation. 

"But you all have seen what I can do." Akira insisted. 

"Yes we have and you're even more deadly when Black Frost takes control but... Akira if we go out there. If we try to stop him, Sentinel Services just might try to arrest us too." John said. Akira sighed.

"I know... I know that the people out there haven't done much for Mutants. They've hunted us, killed us, tortured us but I know I can stop him. I just know it. If I can help them. If I can show people that I'm not as bad as I seem then..."

"Akira, you don't have to prove yourself to anyone." Riley said.

"Yes I do." Akira said with determination. "I have to prove to myself that I'm not... That I can be..." Akira stopped. "Where is he?" Nobody said anything. "If you won't tell me I will just..." Akira turned around, ready to leave the room but John caught her arm.

"Akira please. He could hurt you. You don't know what he's capable of."

"Well, he doesn't know what I'm capable of either." Akira said, her eyes flashing blue. John ground his teeth. 

"If you're going... I'm coming with you." John said.

"Dude..." Marcos said.

"She's clearly determined and if she left without one of us, she wouldn't know how to get back here." John looked to her "You would be captured." It was a warning, Akira knew this. She nodded.

"Look, if I get in over my head, we'll pull back. I'm not trying to die in a fire that would probably be... The most uncomfortable thing for someone with cryokenisis." Everyone stood around nervously until Diana finally sighed. 

"He's downtown, slowly moving through University road. Sentinel Agents are in route." John nodded.

"Keep us updated. Come on Akira." John said. Akira smiled at the others as she and John exited the room, closing the door behind them. Marcos looked to Riley.

"What's the probability of Yuki... I mean Akira winning against Firestorm." Marcos said. Riley looked over to them grimly.

"39.6%" Riley said. 

"What if Black Frost appears, then whats her likelihood of winning." Lorna asked. Riley shook his head.

"Like I said before. There's a 0.12% chance of Black Frost today." 

* * *

Akira and John were skirting around the edges of a building in the downtown area. They could hear Firestorm not far off. He was laughing as people screamed and ran from him. Sentinel Service agents were tracking the maniacally laughing guy but their bullets couldn't penetrate his wall of fire and nobody dared get too close to him. 

In the car, John had told Akira that Devlin makes appearances in bursts. Sometimes once every couple of months, sometimes twice a month. "There's no pattern. His attacks are random and he always leaves a wake of destruction in his path." 

"I can stop him." Akira insisted. "I was made to do this." John wasn't quite so sure. Akira was strong, yes but Black Frost was the only one who could match Firestorm's raw power. John's arm was out, to prevent Akira from moving forward, from being seen and although Akira appreciated the gesture, she wanted to get out there. She tapped John on the shoulder and he looked over at her with a slight frown.

"I still don't like this Akira." He said softly. 

"I can do this John. Do you think I can't?"

"It's... It's not that." John said. He just didn't want her to doubt herself, to hesitate because if she did, it could kill her.

"Then let me go, please. If anything, I can at least distract him." John took a deep breath and nodded once. Akira smiled, pushed herself off the balls of her feet and moved away from the safety of the building as she began to walk down the deserted road towards Firestorm. John tensed watching her. "Hey! Burning man!" Akira shouted. John almost laughed. In the air, Firestorm turned slowly to look at Akira down on the street, staring up at him. Devlin paused slightly before flying closer. Even though he was still twenty feet away in front of her, Akira could feel the heat he was exuding. 

"You're gonna get _burned_ little girl!" Devlin shouted.

"I don't think so." Akira shouted back. Around him, Devlin watched as large icicles slowly formed. He eyed them curiously. They weren't burning up despite being in close proximity to him. Devlin glowed blue, turning up the heat but the icicles didn't even begin to slowly drip water down onto the street bellow. Firestorm laughed.

"Neat trick." Akira threw the icicles, hoping one would stick but Devlin seemed to flex and the fire around him burned outwards, now managing to melt the points and dull the blades before melting them entirely. Then, Devlin rushed at Akira who bared her teeth. John almost shouted at her but he watched in awe as in one swift movement, Akira made a dragging motion from the top of her head, down. She was instantly covered in glistening ice, like an armor and John was surprised. He had never seen her do that before. Then, something else interesting happened, Akira froze the road outwards and expertly skated down it, getting out of Firestorms way. 

Devlin halted so he wouldn't slam straight into the ice and as he paused, Akira came racing back, looking like a deadly ice skater. She pushed out, a row of sharp shards extending out in front of her. Devlin shot back into the sky, the spires narrowly missing him again. John thought Akira would come to a skidding halt, but she didn't. Instead, she continued to barrel forward and John stepped out into the street. Akira held her hand out in front of her and the large spires thickened, forming a solid bridge that Akira began to skate upwards, continuing to extend with one hand.

Devlin was laughing at the sight in front of him. "Alright ice princess, bring it on!" Devlin sent out a large burst of fire at her and John nearly screamed as he watched Akira and her bridge become consumed in the flames. To his astonishment, she appeared, vaulted off the bridge and managed to land a solid punch right to Devlin's jaw. John's own jaw dropped slightly. When Akira said she had been holding back on him.. She wasn't lying. He didn't think she had this kind of fighting power inside of her. She was using her powers in ways they hadn't even discussed before. 

Devlin himself was shocked too. Akira had grabbed him by the collar and was now dragging them both to the ground. Devlin was only used to propelling himself upward with only his weight, not his and the added weight of another. Akira and Devlin both came crashing to the ground but it was only Akira who landed lightly as she shoved Devlin down in front of her and kicked off his chest, flipping backwards and landing solidly on her feet and creating a circle of jagged ice around where she had landed.

Meanwhile, Devlin was sitting up from the melting concrete, gritting his teeth. He was clearly angry, that much John and Akira could tell by how quickly the ground beneath him continued to melt. Akira waved her hand over herself again. The ice protecting her was thick but she had to keep replenishing it. If she didn't, she really would get burned. Devlin began to walk forward, throwing out bursts of fire that melted the ice Akira had placed on the ground. Akira clenched her jaw. 

"Who the hell do you think you are Ice princess?" Akira felt a burst of anger deep inside of her. She could feel Black Frost bubbling to the surface again. She swallowed hard, trying to force her down. 

"The name's Black Frost bitch." Akira held one hand out on her right, palm up and slowly a shifting moving line of ice began to rise up. The ice crystals tumbling and reeling over one another trying to grow.

"I'm going to kill you." Devlin threatened. Akira said nothing, just made a sweeping motion with her hand and threw everything she had at Devlin. He smirked and pushed one hand out. His wall of fire met Akira's wall of ice and the collision blinded John a little.

Akira ground her teeth as Devlin continued to walk forward, melting through her ice. Akira pushed out with her left hand. The wall grew and thickened, trying to wrap around Devlin. Akira could feel Black frost screaming at her. She wanted control. She wanted to kill Firestorm. She wanted _out_. But it would be a cold day in _hell_ before Akira would give into her demands and that was her mistake. Despite Akira telling herself that she could do this, that she could beat Firestorm without Devlin's help, she began to doubt her own strength. John could see this. 

Devlin was pushing forward, the space between Akira and him getting smaller and smaller. Akira could feel the intense heat coming off of him. Devlin laughed and Akira panicked. Pushing out with both hands now, Firestorm created a tornado of fire around Akira that left her gasping for air and struggling to maintain her icy armor. But with the water molecules frying around her, she was very quickly going to choke and die in this fire. 

That's when something struck Devlin hard at his back. He stumbled, loosing concentration. The fire dissipated and John watched as Akira collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air. John's heart was beating fast. He had just ripped a mailbox out of the ground to throw at him, hoping it would make him turn around and while it did... John didn't know what to do now. There was no way he could survive in a fight with Firestorm as long as Akira did. "And who the fuck are you?" Firestorm demanded. John was tensed, ready to run or fight or throw something. And that's when water began to rain down around them. 

The only way Sentinel Services had captured Firestorm the first time, was by nearly drowning him. Devlin tensed, his fire sizzling out as began to recall those horrible minutes he had been trapped underwater, air escaping his lungs, feeling like he was going to drown and die. He hated water for this very reason now. He barely even took showers now because of the stress it induced. Firestorm shot off like a rocket and John breathed a sigh of relief before rushing over to Akira.

"Yu... Akira!" John shouted, skidding to a halt next to her. She was breathing hard and had re-covered herself in a layer of ice. Even through the ice, John could see that portions of her arms and face were burned. He cringed. "Hold on Akira. I'll get you out of here and back home okay? Just hang on." Akira nodded before passing out cold. John picked her up and as Sentinel Services began to descend on the area, he and Akira slipped away out of their sight. 


	22. Cold As Ice

_One Week Later_

Akira had been avoiding... Well, everyone. She could find all the best hiding places in this abandoned bank so whenever John would find her, she'd just pick a new place to hide. John kept asking her why she was hiding and Akira didn't really have an answer other than... She was humiliated. The burn marks on her skin were fading but every time she looked in the mirror and saw the red, blotchy patches of her skin she just felt so stupid. 

Akira had woken up back in the Mutant Underground base covered in ice and she panicked a little as she tried to regain her bearings. John had been asleep in a chair nearby but was startled awake when his heightened sense began to feel the temperature in the room drop. "Akira." He said, reaching out for her as he watched her start to hyperventilate a little, the ice around her slowly disappearing, melting back into the air. "Hey, you're okay. You're fine." Akira winced and touched the side of her face. John grimaced. Her burns looked a little worse now that he could see them better.

"What... What happened?"

"You fought Firestorm remember?" Akira was staring at him wide eyed. "And you... He nearly... You got burned Akira. Come here, let me take a look." Akira slid closer to him, off the bed and hissed when she accidentally touched a portion of her burned skin on her leg. The fabric of her jeans on portions of her body had been burned away and underneath was angry red wounds.

"Oww." Akira murmured, bottom lip trembling.

"It's okay. Matrice has healing powers she can fix you right up and..." Akira wasn't listening. Instead, she took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. John watched white vapor spill out of her mouth and then watched in awe as ice begin to form over her wounds When Akira opened her eyes again, they shined blue for a fraction of a second. "Akira?"

"Yeah." Akira said slowly. "Let's go find Matrice. These really hurt John." Akira said before realizing that the immense pain that had flooded her moments ago had been dulled a little. Akira glanced down at one of the burn marks on her arms. It didn't look nearly as bad as it did a couple seconds ago. "What..." 

"You... Healed yourself? With ice?" John said in a questioning tone.

"I... I don't know. I've never done that before." John pursed his lips. 

"It must've been Black Frost." Akira grimaced and eventually, the pair of them made it down the stairs to find Matrice so she could be healed completely. Matrice had told Akira that the redness would fade after a while but it had been almost a week and Akira was worried that she would always see these marks of humiliation on her skin.

"Is there room for two to brood on this rooftop?" Akira glanced behind her to find John, half leaning out the window she had climbed out of to get up here. Akira bit her lip. She and John hadn't talked properly since she had woken up from her fight with Firestorm. She hadn't even thanked him properly for saving her life. She looked out towards the blackened sky at all the stars twinkling above them and nodded slowly so John hauled himself out of the window and made his way towards her with an agility and grace, that made Akira was jealous. She had stumbled her way out onto this roof and he acted like he was still walking on solid ground.

"You knew I was out here." Akira said, more of a statement than a question. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and hugged her arms around herself.

"I didn't actually. I've come out here to think a few times since we've been here." Akira felt stupid... Again. Of course he wasn't looking for her. Not everything is about her.

"Oh... Sorry for taking your spot." Akira said, beginning to move so she could go back inside. John caught her arm.

"It's fine. I don't mind." John licked his lips. "I was actually looking for you but when I couldn't find you... I came here." Akira looked over at him. John half smiled. "It's always the last place you check isn't it?" Akira shrugged. 

"You didn't use your tracking skills?" Akira said.

"No. I know all your hiding places already. This... this is new." Akira smiled a little.

"You're as **cold as ice**. Do you know that?" John said lightly, his hand was still on her upper arm. Akira shrugged.

"Do you know that you're as warm as the sun?" Akira said. 

"Seriously?" Akira nodded, slipping her arm out of John's hand so she could lay the back of her hand in his open palm.

"You're burning hot, all the time." Akira murmured. "It's almost uncomfortable being around you sometimes. Most people don't feel as warm as you do." Akira said which sounded way cheesier out loud than in her head. She took her hand away. "Anyways I... I wanted to thank you... For saving my life. After I collapsed and we got back here I never properly..." John was shaking his head.

"It's fine Akira. It's fine." Akira licked her lips and turned away from him. "Why have you been avoiding me this past week? Avoiding everyone?"

"Because John I... I said I could beat him and I failed. The one time I use my powers for good and they fail me." She shakes her head at herself. "I'm hopeless. All my strength lies with Black Frost. All that power is hers and she's a monster... I'm a monster."

"Akira you're not a monster." John said. Akira frowned.

"I am John. I don't know why you can't see that. You've _met_ Black Frost. She _hurt_ you. _I_ hurt you. I shouldn't even be here. Why did you even want me to stay?" Akira demanded, glaring at him. John was quiet and Akira huffed, turning to head inside. She wouldn't let John stop her this time.

But John grabbed Akira's hand and she scowled at him but he looked so serious and so sincere that the tension in Akira's shoulders dropped in surprise. "Akira, I think you're incredible." John said softly. Akira's heart was pounding in her chest. They were so close to one another that she could just reach out and... John heard her heart rate accelerate and smiled softly, stepping closer to her.

"John don't..." Akira murmured, knowing what he was going to do next. If he kissed her, she might become so dizzy she'll fall off this roof.

"Why not?" John murmured, pushing back a lock of her hair.

"You do realize that I haven't been running around the arctic kissing boys right? I'm not going to be that good at it." John laughed.

"Why don't we find out." He said but he could sense her hesitation. 

"John I..." Akira paused. Did he really like her? Really? That didn't seem possible. He liked her even though he knew what she was? What she was capable of? "I can't..." Akira whispered.

"Akira.." John said softly seeing how tightly she was squeezing her eyes shut, knowing she could cry at any moment. "I'm not afraid of you and you are not defined by what you have done."

"I've killed people John. I killed my own family." Akira whispered. 

"You were just a kid." 

"I shouldn't even be alive." Akira said, her eyes opening just as a tear escaped. John reached up and brushed it away, cupping her face with his hands.

"Don't say that okay, just don't."

"I was dead John. I was born dead. I should've stayed that way."

"Stop."

"No!" Akira cried out. "John I..." she didn't know what to say. She felt like a broken record, repeating the same sad notes over and over. She was scratched. She was useless. She didn't want to keep turning. Breathing in deeply, Akira dropped her head down onto John's chest and tried not to cry. She didn't want to look at him anymore. He looked so sad and yet so... Loving? Happy? She couldn't pinpoint it and Akira knew if she kept staring into his eyes like that, she wouldn't be able to help herself, she would simply lean in and kiss him. John sighed and wrapped his arms around her in a hug as Akria put her arms around his neck.

"What you've done does not define who you are Akira. Please remember that." John said softly, stroking her snow white hair. "I've killed people too Akira and..."

"You were a soldier John. I was just a troubled kid with too much power." Akira said lifting her head off his chest so she could look at him. Their embrace felt too intimate though and Akira started to let go of him, her hands unable to stop themselves from moving down his shoulders and to his chest, feeling the muscles under his shirt. John couldn't take it any longer. She was so close to him and he just wanted to kiss her. He had been imagining it for a long time now. 

"Akira.." john said slowly, his hand on her upper arm. He paused and shook his head slightly and just decided to kiss her. If she rejected him, she would reject him. When John leaned in, he watched her met him halfway. He kissed her, reaching his hand up to touch her cheek, his fingers moving through her long white hair.

When John kissed Akira she felt a large rush of adrenaline. Her heart was pounding wildly in her chest and Akira only hoped that she wasn't lowering the temperature or building an ice castle around the building or making it snow or anything horrible like that. She wanted one, simple perfect moment. She wanted to have that with John.

She was right when she said that he felt as warm as the sun. Being pressed up against him like this felt sweltering but as she put her arms around his waist she knew that there was a part of her that actually liked being this warm. It meant she was close to him. It meant that someone liked her enough to be this close to her. 

Akira's skin was cold to the touch. John got shivers as her hands ran down his chest and shuddered slightly when he felt one of her hands touch the small of his back. It felt like he was lying face down in a pile of snow. Akira's skin was soft, her hair just as cold. John could feel ice particles in her hair and he smiled as he kissed her. 

Akira pulled back a little, laughing nervously as John pressed his forehead against hers. Their arms were still wrapped around one another tightly. "Uhh..." Akira said slowly. "I should... Go to bed. I'm kind of tired." 

"Will you talk to me tomorrow?" John asked. Akira looked back up into his eyes.

"Yeah John... Of course I will."

"Okay." John murmured. He leaned in and kissed her lightly and when he pulled back, Akira smiled at him lightly. 

"I'll see you tomorrow." Akira said, slipping out of his arms, already missing how warm and solid he felt. John could feel warmth seeping back into his hands and he pursed his lips as he watched Akira carefully make her way back to the window so she could climb back into the building. John took a deep breath and sighed, only following her back inside when he heard her begin to go downstairs. As John climbed back through the window, he hoped that Akira wouldn't disappear on him in the middle of the night. He hoped she would still be here in the morning. 


	23. Deadly

"Teach me some Japanese." John said, staring down at Akira who had her head in his lap as they sat on his bed. Akira half smiled at him, looking up from her book briefly. She couldn't understand why John wanted to just sit with her while she read. He wasn't even doing anything. He was just watching her and now, distracting her. 

"I'm reading. Go look at google translate." Akira said, putting the book back in her view. John chuckled, his fingers running through her hair. Much to John's surprise, Akira didn't try to push him away after their kiss several days ago. She had actually really warmed up to the idea of creating a deeper relationship. The two of them were almost inseparable now. 

"Come on Akira, please." John said, nudging her a little. Akira rolled her eyes. 

"Don't look at me like that. I'm busy John. I want to read." John smirked.

"You've been on that page for five minutes now. You're not reading." Akira huffed and sat up, closing her book.

"Because you keep distracting me idiot." John smirked. 

"Just teach me a couple of things. Come on, I'm a quick learner." Akira rolled her eyes but turned her body around to face him.

"Fine, let's start with the basics." Akira said before dramatically clearing her throat. She clasped her hands together, mock bowed and said, "Kon'nichiwa." John snorted.

"Oh come on, everyone knows that word." 

"Well then you have all you need to know about the Japanese language." Akira said, settling back down with her book. John plucked it out of her hands and held it above his head with a smirk on his face. Akira frowned at him. 

"You're only taller than me when you stand John. This is nothing." Akira said, although she made no move to grab her book back.

"Teach me something Akira." Akira made a face at him and John smiled. Akira sighed.

"Fine." She said before thinking slowly about the correct phrases and their English translations. Akira licked her lips, remembering how she had spent months in Greenland learning English. She would borrow children's books from the library and an english to Japanese dictionary, surprised that the Greenland library even carried such a book. It took her a while to get it right and even longer to learn how to speak it without her Japanese accent being too prominent. Sometimes she still felt self-conscious about her English skills though. "Sandābādo." Akira said with a small smile.

"What does that mean?"

"It's your name, Thunderbird." John smiled and repeated the word. 

"Sandobādu."

"Close. It's, sandābādo." Akira repeated. This time when John said it, it was perfect. Akira smiled. "Alright well, Kuroi shimo is Black Frost."

"That sounds pretty." John said. Akira half smiled. 

"Doesn't look pretty though." 

"Give me something hard. Come on, I can do it." Akira laughed.

"You're not going to understand me." Akira argued.

"Try me." John said with a grin. Akira sighed and thought for a second before saying,

"Watashi wa, anata o aishiteimasu." John pursed his lips.

"You just insulted me in Japanese didn't you." Akira laughed.

"Yes, exactly." John snorted.

"Now I have to go look it up. Say it for me again." Akira shook her head.

"Nope. You only get the one time utterance. Come back next time." Akira said, kissing his cheek and taking her book back from him before she flopped back onto his pillows, putting her feet up on his lap. And that's how they were, John laughing and Akira reading as Marcos walked into the room. John and Akira both looked at him and his grim expression. John stopped smiling and Akira frowned, sitting back up.

"What's wrong?" John asked.

"Firestorm. He's back and..." Marcos' eyes slide towards Akira. 

"And he's asking for you Akira. He's challenging Black Frost."

* * *

"Ice Princess! Come out, come out wherever you are!" Devlin shouted on the screen as Akira bit her bottom lip nervously, drawing blood. "Let's finish what we started! Let me kill you once and for all!" He laughed and Akira shuddered. The red marks on her skin had _just_ faded away and Akira was scared of what would happen if she went back out there again.

"You're not going." John said.

"And I don't want to but... Look John." The news camera panned down to show Devlin chasing after some civilians, shouting manically as he lobbed ball after ball of fire after them. The camera was shaky and the image blurry. The newscaster and her crew obviously were trying not to get too close. "He's going to kill people if I don't make an appearance. If I don't face him."

"And if you do face him again. He _will_ kill you." John said.

"Actually, there's only a 26.3% chance of Akira dying today. On the other hand there is a 55.7% chance of Black Frost appearing." Riley said. Screams emanated from the video open on Diana's screen and Diana closed out of the feed.

"If you go out there... You'll just provoke him." Lorna said.

"But at least he'll be attacking me, not anybody else. If things get... Hairy again. John can help." Akira said, glancing over at him. He was clearly pissed off. He didn't want her to go but he would certainly accompany her so she wouldn't have to go alone.

"What's the probability of Akira winning if she unleashes Black Frost?" John said.

"John." Akira said forcefully.

"97.2% chance she will win." Akira was shocked by that number. "Black Frost is ruthless. She will stop at nothing to..."

"Exactly, she will stop at nothing to accomplish her goals. I'm not... I'm not going to let her have control of me John." Akira said, glaring at John. "My probability of dying today is low. I'm going to be fine." Akira scoffed when nobody said anything. "We shouldn't even be discussing this. I'm leaving." Akira started to march out the door. John was frowning, glaring at the ground.

"If you don't go with her, her chances of dying are..."

"Stop." John said, glaring daggers at Riley before he left the room to go after Akira. Riley looked to everyone else and they were all giving him _looks_. 

"What? At least it got him moving." Lorna shook her head. 

"Well let's pray to god Devlin doesn't burn them _both_ alive." Lorna grumbled.

* * *

Akira had a horrible feeling of deja vu wash over her as she and John crept around the buildings, heading for Firestorms last location which Diana had sent them as a text to John's phone. John hadn't been able to talk to Akira about her use of her powers while she had been recovering. He thought that she needed some rest before he started grilling her at training. But now that she was heading back out to fight him again, it was all he could talk about in the car.

"When we see him this time, you need to get the drop on him again. Don't do some grandiose thing and reveal yourself, just attack and ask questions later. You almost had him there a couple of times." Akira nodded.

"Attack. Don't ask questions. Got it."

"I know you said once that you can feel water molecules around you, so do you have to turn them to ice or can you just manipulate the water itself?"

"I think I can only control it the one way. Not that I've never really tried but... Ice is my forte."

"Well if you can manipulate water... Try manipulating the clouds so that snow doesn't fall but water instead." Akira frowned.

"That's a whole other ability altogether. I know what it feels like to make a snowstorm but a rainstorm... That's different." 

"I know. It's a long shot." John said as they swerved around a corner in his truck, avoiding police barricades. John sighed. "Just... If you can, encase him in ice, trap him. If he burns bright enough to melt your ice, the water around him should be enough to give him a panic attack. You should have seen the way he reacted last time he was doused by a couple of drops." Akira nodded.

"Alright, trap him in ice. Got it."

Easier said than done. 

Still hidden from Devlin's line of sight, Akira closed her eyes and started to call upon a snow storm. Before long, dark clouds filled the sky and snow began to fall around them. The delicate ice particles would sizzle as they came in contact with Devlin's aura, nothing touched him. Firestorm looked up at the sky and grinned as a cold wind blew through the whole area. "Ice Princess! Where are you?" He cried out, laughing hard. "This is some trick!"

John looked to Akira whose eyes snapped open. She glanced back at John and gave him a half smile before slowly standing. John and Akira had climbed to the top of a parking structure, waiting for a moment when Devlin's back was turned before she revealed herself. It was now or never. John nodded and Akira got a running start and jumped of the roof, creating a bridge of ice under her feet that spread out as she skated expertly up it. Firestorm was turning around just as Akira made a jump at him, a large dangerous icicle in hand. When Akira latched onto him, the two of them plummeted towards the ground.

John ran to the edge and saw Firestorm and Akira fighting to smash one another into the ground. Akira got the upper hand and they slammed down into a snow bank that melted almost as fast as Devlin touched it. Akira jumped off of him, replenishing her icy armor and creating more daggers of ice in her hands but even from here, John could hear Firestorm laughing.

"Do we have to do this again Ice Princesses?" Firestorm said, eyeing the fresh burns up and down Akira's arms. He could see that there was ice under her skin, fixing up the wounds. Devlin thought it was a neat trick but he knew she couldn't repair herself that quickly and he also knew that she couldn't concentrate properly if she was in immense pain. 

Devlin is no longer on fire and Akira can see just how creepy and hollow he looks without the fire constantly surrounding him. He's as this as a skeleton with stringy black hair and dark eyes. He slowly lets fire wrap around one arm as he stares at her. "I could kill you with just one hand." Akira feels her armor freeze up more solidly around her, the snow swirling around them faster as she starts to panic a little. "Wanna see?"

Devlin lobs a ball of fire at her and Akira puts up a wall of ice between them. The fireball melts through it, leaving a large gaping hole and Akira grinds her teeth. Devlin is laughing as he steps through it. "You know, I heard about you! On the news! The **deadly** , the powerful, the legendary Akira Lim who froze Japan at six years old and killed not only her family but an entire apartment buildings worth of people!" Devlin laughed. "You don't seem so powerful to me." Another fireball, another wall. Akira felt her heart racing in her chest. She felt Black Frost screaming, trying to push through. But Akira couldn't let her. If Black Frost got control... Akira was worried that she might just keep it. "In fact, you look pretty pathetic to me." Devlin lobbed another fireball at her but instead of stopping it this time, Akira let it come right towards her. Devlin smiled but... To his amazement, the fireball disappeared completely, inches from Akira's face.

Firestorm could see that Black Frost had her eyes closed and when she opened them, her irises were blue. Foolishly, Devlin thought, he watched her begin to shed her icy armor. "Let's find out who is really pathetic. Me, or you." Black Frost smirked. Firestorm smiled back at her.

By the time John got back down to the ground and managed to follow the icy, burned and melted wreckage of Akira and Devlin's fight, he had come to the conclusion that Black Frost had taken over. As he watched her now, watched how merciless Akira was being, he almost couldn't believe his eyes. Akira didn't had on her icy armor and apparently... She didn't need it. All the fire Firestorm threw at her was evaporating in front of her, as if the temperature was too cold for the heat to survive. Maybe Akira had some sort of icy wind wrapping around her as some sort of barrier but John couldn't see it. What he could see though was that Akira was winning and Devlin knew it.

Devlin crashed down into the snowy ground, trying to furiously melt at the ice covering his arm as Black Frost bared down on him. Something had changed about her from last time, that much Devlin could sense but he couldn't understand what. He dodged Akira's next attack, diving behind a car as Akira laughed. "Run and hide Fire baby!" Firestorm grit his teeth and glanced to his right where he could hear a slight commotion. Upon looking, Devlin saw the guy that had stopped him from killing Black Frost last time. He was breaking through the ice covering a car door, helping a family of four escape their vehicle. Firestorm got an idea. 

Devlin pushed his arms out and shoved all the firepower he could at Akira. It didn't hit her but it shielded Devlin from her line of sight for a moment. Devlin barreled straight towards John and the family and John could sense it. He eyed Firestorm, terror in his eyes.

"Run!" Akira heard John scream. This shout was enough to pull her back to the forefront and Akira watched in horror was Devlin charged straight for John and the man with him. Akira would have wondered where he had come from if she had enough time but she didn't. Instead, she raced forward, willing a wall of ice to appear in front of the man and John, who was holding his ground. 

"John!" Akira shouted but it was too late, Devlin was upon them. He hadn't totally covered himself in fire so when John punched him in the face, his skin was merely singed but John could feel Devlin beginning to let the fire wash back over him. Whatever Akira had been doing to suppress the fire was gone so any minute now, John would be roasted. Luckily, Devlin sucks at hand to hand combat. John kneed him in the chest and tossed him into the car that he had just rescued the family from. Devlin smashed into it, glass breaking. John prepared for Devlin to come at him again but he didn't. Instead, Devlin gave the man closest to him a sidelong glance and grinned. He didn't look like a fighter. Devlin threw a fireball at him.

"No!" Akira screamed as she watched the man put up his arms to cover his face. Firestorm laughed loudly and started to use his abilities to propel himself upward as the man withered and screamed, collapsing to the pavement.

"Until next time Black Frost! I had fun!" He shouts at them as he shoots off into the sky, disappearing in the now, less than stormy clouds. Akira lands next to John and the man who is shaking and shivering, moaning from his injuries. Akira reaches out.

"I can help." She says softly. "I can ease the pain." The man says nothing. John looks at her and Akira bites her lip before taking a deep breath and putting her hands over the third degree burns on the mans left arm. John watches in amazement as ice forms in and on top of the mans flesh, seemingly repairing it and healing it. Akira does the same to his right arm, moving her hands over without opening her eyes. The process repeats and when Akira exhales and looks down at her handiwork, she's a little proud. 

"We need to leave." John says. Akira nods slowly, standing up shakily. 

"Let me melt the ice and snow." She murmurs. Akira raises her arms above her head and as she brings them back down slowly, John feels the air begin to warm a little. The snow around them melts, the clouds dissipate and when Akira opens her eyes again, she nods at him. "Let's go."


	24. Let Go

"We have testimonial from Mr. Hale himself on his side of the story or his encounter with Akira Lim and Firestorm." The video shifted to footage of Mr. Hale talking. He was lying in bed, bandages around his arms but otherwise, he looked fine.

"I... Yeah I heard about Akira Lim on the news years ago when she first froze Japan. I remember thinking that... A mutant with that much raw power, especially at such a young age was... Was a threat obviously." The footage cuts again and Mr. Hale continues. "When I heard the news report that she was here, that she was the one who had fought off Firestorm downtown I... I was amazed. It had been almost over a decade since anyone had seen her. How could she be here? now? In America?" John snorted and Akira shushed him. 

"How did you feel when Akira was healing your burns?" The news reporter asks.

"I... I don't remember much. I remember hearing voices. The voice of the man who had saved my family and I and her voice, Akira's." He paused. "I was afraid. I thought she might kill me. I couldn't process what they were saying in my mind, everything hurt too much and then suddenly... The pain lessened. First in one arm and then the next. It was incredible." The footage cuts. "I must have passed out because the next thing I know, I'm here, my wife is crying with relief and theres bandages on my arms." Mr. Hale shrugs, smiling. "The doctors said she saved my skin, literally."

"Do you believe Akira is a... A trustworthy mutant? She froze Japan, froze her family and an entire apartment building full of people but... She fixes your burns? Fights off Firestorm? Do these acts of kindness makeup for all of that?" Mr. Hale paused at the reporters question and Akira leaned forward, the air in the room turning cold as an icy chill burst in through the window. 

"No, it doesn't makeup for all of that and... I don't think it does for her either." He licks his lips. "Akira was a kid when she did both of those things. She was six when she froze Japan and around twelve, if my math is correct, when she.. When those events in China occurred." Mr. Hale shrugs. "If what people say is true and Mutants who are coming into their powers have... Very little control then... I believe that must have been what happened to her."

"Are you a Mutant Sympathizer?" The reporter interjects. Mr. Hale laughs. 

"No. I wouldn't call myself that but... I am a man of logic and these are the facts. Akira stopped Firestorm twice now from laying waste to dozens possibly hundreds of people. She fixed my burns. Not completely but... Enough that the skin and nerves could be saved. I would like to thank her for that and thank that other man, that Mutant if he is one... For saving my family and I. None of us would be here without them." The footage shifts back to the main reporter and I want to hear what she has to say, but John mutes her.

"Hey!" Akira exclaims. John is smiling at Akira when she looks at him.

"I told you he was fine." Akira shrugged pursing her lips.

"I thought... I thought I might have been too overzealous. Maybe I had actually give him frostbite. I just needed to know for myself." She glanced back at the computer screen. "Why won't you let me watch the rest?" Akira said. She had never heard of Youtube before, that's where they had been watching the video. John was surprised when she told him she had no idea what Youtube was but... Then again, the website had only been out about a year before Akira left China and dropped out of civilization almost entirely. 

"Because the newscaster isn't very... Kind with her words like Mr. Hale is. Let's just leave it at that, okay?" Akira sighs but nods and John closes out of the tab. It had been over a week since she saved Mr. Hale, since she fought Firestorm. She was glad to have reigned Black Frost back in. She didn't want to kill firestorm and that's what Black Frost wanted to do before she heard John shout _Run!_ Akira pushed away from the table and stood up. 

"Has there been any sightings of him? He won't stay away for long." Akira said. John shook his head.

"No. No sightings." Akira sighed. John smiled a little. "Should I be jealous that you spend so much time talking about Devlin? Worrying about him? Asking about him?" Akira rolls her eyes at John's teasing.

"Shut up. You've seen him without all that fire around him. He's not even hot. Not like you." Akira said, stepping closer to John, touching his chest lightly. John smiled down at her as Akira pushed herself up on her toes to kiss his cheek. John put his arms around her.

"Oh but with all the fire around him he's hot?" John asked with a smirk. Akira shook her head.

"If we're talking about temperature, yes. If we're talking about physical appearance, no." Akira said as John pulled her closer so there was no longer any space between them. She shivered slightly, loving how warm he felt. "Like I said, I think you're hot Thunderbird." Akira said softly. John smiled, leaned in and kissed her. Akira melted against him, kissing John back easily. Everything seemed to come easy between them, communication, friendship, love. Akira almost thought she didn't deserve this. 

* * *

Akira, John, Lorna and Marcos were out getting groceries together. It was the most normal Akira had felt in a really long time as they moved through the store, arguing over which dollar brand of canned food tasted better than another. Akira was wearing her black wig again and almost felt like a different person when she caught sight of the strands in her peripheral vision or a reflection of herself in glass or chrome. John hugged Akira from behind lightly as she twirled the short hair from her wig.

"This itches." Akira whispered to him. John snickered. 

"Sorry Akira. We won't be out here much longer." John said, letting go of her and grabbing several boxes of Kraft Mac N Cheese at once, dumping them in Akira's cart. Up ahead, Marcos and Loran were looking at some soups that were for sale when Marcos phone buzzed. He pulled it out of his back pocket, frowned and answered it. 

"Hey D what's..." Marcos didn't finish his sentence. He looked up towards Lorna first and then over to Akira and John. His expression was grim. Akira tensed when John did. He could probably hear what Diana was saying. "Alright, thanks. Bye." Marcos said before shutting his phone.

"It's Firestorm isn't it." Akira said softly. Marcos nodded. Lorna took a deep breath and walked closer to them. 

"Let's do this. The four of us, together."

"Lor..."

"He's dangerous Marcos. You know that. If we can just subdue him long enough for Sentinel Services to slap on some power dampeners..." Akira bit her lip as Marcos stared at he ground, thinking. 

"Alright." He said finally. "Together."

* * *

"God it feel like I'm walking towards the sun." Lorna complained.

"How do you think I feel?" Akira asked quietly as they eyed Firestorm about a mile ahead of them, bellowing his grievances and for some reason, continuously expanding the fire out around him to look like wings even though, it was in now way helping him maneuver through the air. 

Lorna looked at Akira who was covered almost head to toe in ice and somehow not attracting attention as they avoided groups of people running and screaming and Police officers trying to establish a perimeter. "You look pretty comfortable to me." Lorna joked. Everyone smiled but when more screams were heard, Akira winced. "Come on, I want to see Akira's powers in action. It probably looks better in person than recorded from someones phone." Everyone nodded and as they made their way towards Firestorm, Akira started to make it snow. 

Firestorm looked around at the white flakes falling around him and grinned. This was it. He would finally kill Akira once and for all. During their first battle, she had humiliated him and in their second, she nearly killed him. Firestorm was ready now though. He had a plan. If that other mutant was with here again, he would go after him first and kill him. He clearly wasn't as strong as either of them and it would hurt Black Frost more to see him killed than anything he could probably do to her himself. When Firestorm saw four figures walking towards him on the ground though, spotting Akira's white hair immediately, he wasn't worried that she brought reinforcements. He simply smiled and said, "More meat to fry." 

Firestorm flew down in front of them, flexing his powers and making the heat excruciating. "Well look who we have here." Firestorm said with a smirk. "Who are your little friends Akira? Have you brought lambs to the slaughter?"

"Fuck you." Lorna said, reaching out with her powers. A metal gate nearby strained and then broke into several pieces which began to hover around the group menacingly, all of them pointed straight at Firestorm. He might be emitting enough heat to melt them but Lorna would still be able to control the molten hot metal. Next to her, Marcos' hands lit up and Akira's eyes flashed blue. 

"Alright, let's dance." Firestorm flew straight towards John. 

* * *

They were loosing, badly. Akira and her friends were barely staying one step ahead of him. They were throwing everything they had at him but it still wasn't enough. Lorna tried not to touch the burns on her arms but they stung badly. With a hiss, she torn open the shirt the rest of the way, exposing her midriff. There was now more visible skin that Firestorm could aim at but at least the fabric wouldn't be rubbing at her burns. She already had to dump her smoking jacket somewhere and this was one of her favorite shirts but it would be worth it if they could take Devlin down.

"Where is Black Frost?" Lorna asked at one point as she and John hid around a corner, watching Akira and Marcos go at Firestorm while they looked for an opening.

"She's holding her back. Akira doesn't want to let her out." John said. Lorna grit her teeth.

"Well she has to or he'll fucking kill us." Lorna charged back into the fight and John clenched his jaw. He knew she was right and he didn't like it. 

* * *

Akira scowled at Firestorm as he lobbed fireball after fireball at her that she continued to dodge. "That the best you got!" She shouted at him. Firestorm just smirked and pushed his arms out in a sweeping motion, letting loose an entire volley of fire. Akira copied his motion, letting out her own spires of ice, large enough to extinguish the fireballs. Unfortunately, she missed a couple. 

When Akira heard John scream, she froze, a horrified expression on her face. "No." Akira whispered. Firestorm started to laugh as Akira spun around, searching for John somewhere on the ground. She found Marcos first, and followed his line of sight. "John!" Akira shouted, leaping off her bridge of ice, creating a slide down to the ground which she skated down before hitting the icy pavement. She rushed towards John's side.

"Akira.." Marcos said. 

"Go! Go help Lorna!" Akira shouted at him. John's arms were burned badly and so was a better part of his chest and face. Akira's bottom lip trembled.

"But you..." 

"Go!" Akira shouted at him, her eyes an ice cold blue." Marcos stumbled backwards and then sprinted off to help Lorna hold Devlin back. John groaned in her arms. "Shh..." Akira said softly, her hands already moving over his body. "I've got you." She murmured, watching the ice slowly fill in the cracks of his wounds. "I've got you."

"Akira.." John said through labored breathing.

"I'm here." Akira said, feeling tears fall down her face as she started to work on his arms.

"St-stop." John stammered out. "You need to go back out there. I have... Enhanced healing. I'll be fine."

"You're in pain and I'm not leaving you." Akira said determinedly as her hands hovered over his face. John breathed in deeply feeling the cold air wash over him. With Akira's ice and his healing, his body began to repair a little faster but.. Not fast enough.

"You need to let Black Frost.." John said.

"What? No!" Akira said. 

"You need too Akira. Listen to our friends, look at me. He's going to kill us. He's not going to stop until we're _all_ dead. You included." Akira bit her lip, looking back at Lorna and Marcos. Lorna had somehow managed to pin him between two cars. It looked like it was taking all of her concentration to twist the cars up around him like a big metal ball. Firestorm was burning through them fast though. 

"I can't! I can't let her out! " 

"You have to. I'm sorry Akira but you have to."

"No. No. no. John!" Akira shouted as Lorna continued to twist the burning metal around Firestorm who laughed as it continued to melt into smoking pools around him.

"Just let go Akira! Let go of all your fears and your doubts. **Let go**. Let it all go." John said as he watched Akira cry, his own words making his heart break a little. The pain from the burns was almost bearable now but John closed his eyes and winced as he felt his skin pulling itself back together. John heard Akira stop crying and he looked up at her again as she slowly lowered he hands from her face. There were cracks forming around her eyes and up her forehead. In between them, John could see ice crystals. Her eyes flashed open and they were a crystal blue. Black Frost let go of John and stood. Ice started to crawl back up around her and an icy wind blew around her as she settled her eyes on the sight in front of her. John smiled as she marched towards Firestorm.

"You decided to join the party ice princess!" Devlin exclaimed just as he broke free from the twisted, smoking mass, scattering metal and fabric and other firey pieces everywhere. Lorna collapsed from the effort and Marcos ran to help her, leaving Black Frost all alone, just the way she likes it. 

"This ends now." Black Frost said in a voice so calm Devlin was almost frightened by it. He tried to smirk instead as Black Frost charged him. She dodged his first blast of fire and started to slowly raise up walls of ice around him, starting from the ground up as she circled him, skating around the ice. Icicles formed on their own accord and flew towards him from all sides. Firestorm was so preoccupied with the icicles, he didn't even notice the walls of ice until they were up to his knees. Firestorm shot up towards the air but with a half scream, Black Frost created a large wall of ice above him and smashed Firestorm back into the ground with it. With Devlin dazed, Black Frost began to finish her work. 

Continuing to skate around her ice prison, Black Frost focused on closing Devlin up in a bubble and then began to thicken the ice as quick as she could. Marcos and Lorna watched in awe as Black Frost created one of her ice bridges without thinking, skating up it around the top of the ice sphere so that it would be equal thickness on the top as well as the sides. "That's not going to hold him!" Marcos shouted up at her as she continued to add to her sphere. They could no longer even see inside of it. 

"I'm not trying to hold him." Black Frost said. The sentence sent a shiver up their spines as Black Frost skidded to a stop. Suddenly, the whole sphere lit up form the inside. It almost looked like a glowing ice sculptor. Just as quickly as the glow appeared though, it was extinguished. Black Frost smirked and waited a minute or so, tapping her foot. John was just sitting up, having almost fully healed from his injuries and was just in time to watch Akira walk up to the sphere and rap on it with her knuckles. A large crack formed in the middle and everyone waited with fear and anticipation.

Water erupted from the sphere, cracking the ice open wider before it dumped Devlin out onto the icy ground. He looked... Dead. John's heart seized with fear. Black Frost frowned though and kicked Devlin's body. John heard him groan and he sighed in relief. Black frost pouted. "Damnit. I thought that would kill him." She muttered. John staggered to his feet as Marcos tried to help Lorna to hers. 

"Akira! You did it!" John shouted, smiling at her. Akira didn't turn to look at him though. John pursed his lips, confused as he reached out to touch her.

"John wait!" Lorna shouted but his hand was already on her shoulder. As he turned Akira to face him, he was just in time to watch her blue eyes turn milky white, her face frosting over completely.


	25. Kill For Me

"Hello Johnny boy. Expecting someone else?" Her voice was hard, emotionless and when she shoved him off of her, John felt ice weighing him down, spreading all over his body. It was bitterly cold but it wouldn't kill him.

"Akira!" John shouted as Black Frost stretched out her hands, scanning the crowd with her milk white eyes. Everyone looked scared of her, as it should be. A long crack moved down her check and towards her neck. It was filled with ice.

"That's not my name and you know it." Black Frost said with a laugh. "When will you learn?" John struggled against the ice as Marcos and Lorna rushed forward. Marco's hands immediately lit up, light refracting off the ice, melting it slowly. 

"Don't move Black Frost!" Lorna shouted just as Black Frost was about to propel herself upwards with icy blasts from her hands. Black Frost glanced back at Lorna. She had those metal pipes still floating around her. They were all aimed at Black Frost's back.

"Aw, Polaris? You gonna stab a friend in the back?" Black Frost said mockingly, jutting her bottom lip out in a pout. "Be my fucking guest." Black Frost turned around again, unbothered. Lorna hesitated. 

"Polaris! Don't!" John begged. Lorna let out a frustrated shout. Black Frost laughed and tossed her white hair over her shoulder.

"Bye bye kiddies." Black Frost said. She leapt up in the air, landed on top of the nearest building and disappeared from their line of sight. 

"Firestorms down! Move in!" They hear a Sentinel Agent shout.

"Shit." Marco shouted. John clenched his teeth and broke free of the rest of the ice. He was cold as hell but he would live. "We have to move now!" Marcos shouted, grabbing Lorna's hand. John took one look up at the sky where Akira had disappeared. "Come on!" Grinding his teeth, John raced after his friends. 

* * *

_Two Weeks Later_

"Akira Lim was spotted..."

"The notorious mutant Black Frost..."

"In other news, the ice villain known as..." John stopped flipping through news channels and just shut the TV off. For two weeks now, he Lorna and Marcos have been following leads on Akira. She was spotted downtown, at the beach, in a mall, various clubs but by the time the friends would get to Akira's location, she would already be long gone. John was frustrated. He could only track her on the ground. Once she took to the air, flew off, he couldn't track her unless she left one of her ice bridges which was rare. Akira knows how his powers work which means Black Frost would know too and she would also know exactly how to evade him. It was so god damn frustrating. 

"Stop moping in my room." Diana called out to John. He sighed.

"This isn't your room it's like... Your lab." John said with a shake of his head.

"It's basically my room. I'm in here more than I'm in my actual room in this place." John couldn't argue there. He was about to ask Diana to do another search for Akira when the door opened and Marcos came in.

"Riley had a probability of 89.6% that Akira will be at that sketchy bar on the upper east side. We should go check it out John." John doesn't move though.

"An 89% chance?" He says with a sigh.

"Yeah, its better than all the other probabilities he's had. Come on. You want to find her right? Black Frost hasn't done anything... Super criminal yet but she might soon." John pursed his lips. that was one thing that was bugging him about this whole situation. Akira hadn't really done anything... Bad as Black Frost. She only attacked people who tried to capture her or stop her and she wasn't exactly killing anyone. For some reason, John had expected Black Frost to be more sadistic and psychotic. Not that he was complaining that she wasn't like that.

"I'm just tired of getting my hopes up Marcos. It's like... Every time we get close to her..." John had been trying not to show it, but his heart broke a little more with each day that passed with Black Frost in control of Akira's body. He had pushed Akira to let go, to loose herself in her powers. This was all his fault. Capturing Firestorm, stopping him, should not have been his first priority. His first priority should have been Akira. 

"Well if we don't move now," Lorna said, stepping into the room. "Then we might loose her again. Get your ass up John." He smirked a little at his friends and stood. 

"Alright, let's go." 

* * *

Lorna, Marcos and John walked through the dimly lit street, heading towards the thumping bass emanating out of the open door of the bar not too far ahead. In all the little alleyways they passed, the trio could see shoddy drug deals going down or hear shouts and laughter and sometimes screams coming from them. They tried not to look anyone in the eye. When they were still half a block away, that's when John felt it. His eyes swam with the vision of Black Frost strutting down the street in a leather jacket, eyes glowing blue and still milky white. John bent down to the ground, closing his eyes as his hand touched the pavement. Lorna and Marcos paused next to him. "She's close." John murmured

Another vision hits him. John watches Akira flash the bouncer at the bar a grin that compels him to let her past. Akira puts her hand on the bouncers shoulder and it lingers too long, making John grind his teeth as he stands back up. "Come on. She's inside." He says, picking up the pace. Lorna and Marcos race to catch up. 

"So what's the plan?" Lorna said. 

"Get in. Grab her. Get out." John said.

"Doesn't... Doesn't sound like much of a plan." Marcos said.

"She was able to stop last time when I talked to her." John said and it was partly a lie, partly the truth. Akira said Black Frost stopped when he heard him shout _Run_ to that family and when he told her that she was scaring that young mutant Lily but... He wasn't sure if that would be enough now. When Black Frost had taken over before, it wasn't as obvious. Akira's irises would turn blue, not go white, like she was looking at them all through cloudy ice. John wasn't even sure how she could see. It almost looked like her eyes had rolled to the back of her head but... Then wouldn't you be able to see veins? 

"Well... Let's hope Akira listens." Marcos said as Lorna approached the bouncer, sneered at him and then headed inside. The guy didn't try to stop them. John wondered if they looked like they belonged in a place like this or if the guy just didn't care.

When John, Lorna, and Marcos entered the bar, it was just as dimly lit as the outside. The music was loud and so was the sounds of people talking and laughing. The trio scanned the bar slowly, looking for Akira but John didn't have to search long, he sensed her. She was out on the dance floor. John moved towards Akira. He had never seen her dance before. It was something John would have thought Akira would be self-conscious about. Black Frost clearly had no qualms about dancing in front of people or with them. John felt his heart race when he saw her. If he didn't look at her too hard, he could almost imagine that Akira was alright, that she was just dancing, that she was waiting for him. 

No such luck though.

Black Frost's eyes snapped open, sensing that people were watching her and people were, but these gazes felt different. When Black Frost spotted John she thought, _Aw Akira's little pet. He finally found me._ Black Frost grinned at John wickedly and he swallowed hard, jaw clenched tight. Black Frost pushed her chest out a little. She was wearing a low cut top that might just distract John enough so that she could escape him. Black Frost moved through the crowd, it parted for her as she made a beeline to John.

"Johnny boy." Black Frost said, reaching up and running one hand through his hair lightly. "You found me." Black Frost said with a grin.

"Akira... Come home, please." John said, still unsettled by the cracks in her skin. There was one long jagged scar from her eye down to her neck that was filled in with ice. Did nobody else in this bar see any of this? Or did they see and just not care? Black Frost laughed.

"Akira's not home sweetheart. Try again some other time." Black Frost turned to walk away but John grabbed her wrist. Black Frost snarled at him. "Don't make me ice you." She hissed.

"Frost, just come back with us. Let us help you." 

"Help me?" Black Frost asked with a peal of laughter. "What do I need help with? I'm perfectly fine. I'm _finally_ in control. No more little Akira to hold me back. She was such a burden you know? Always whining and complaining about everything. Never taking what she wanted." Black Frost said with a smirk as she reached up and gripped John's chin lightly in her hand. John pulled back and Black Frost dropped her hand, smirking. "And she did want you but I don't." Black Frost tried to slip out of his grasp and when that didn't work, she began to slowly numb his hand with a cold frost. John remained steadfast though.

"Don't do this Frost. I don't want to hurt you. Can we please just go outside to talk." Black Frost looked at his hand. It was turning blue. He was serious. Akira pulled back on her powers and John exhaled slightly, relieved to get some feeling back. Since John had grabbed her right arm with his left hand, Black Frost was able to walk into his arms without twisting them. She threw her unrestricted arm around his neck, pressing her body against his.

"Do you really want to talk Johnny boy or do you want... Something else." Black Frost said with a grin. John made no move to return her embrace. Black Frost sighed. "You're a bore." With a flick of her free wrist Black Frost, shot out large daggers of ice that smashed into the bottles of alcohol at the bar, spilling it's contents and making it sound like a gun had gone off in the room. Immediately, everyone screamed and ran for the doors. Black Frost smiled as she watched Lorna and Marcos get pushed out with the crowd. "Now that they're taken care of." Black Frost conjures up one of her signature walls of ice. The wave of ice shifted upwards, towards her secured hand.

"Frost!" John shouted as a warning. "Stop!"

"Make me." Black Frost hissed as she proceeded to judo flip John over her shoulder. John groaned slightly, letting go of Frost's arm but he wouldn't get up. He wouldn't hurt her. He couldn't. Black Frost bent over him, pissed off that he wouldn't get up and do something. "Fight me or I'll kill you." Black Frost threatened.

"Akira don't, please." John begged. Black Frost touched the spot over her heart and put on a sympathetic look for him.

"Aw, you like her a lot don't you." She said with an air of cruelty. "Too bad you can't like all of her." Black Frost said with a sneer, forming a large, sharp icicle in her hand. 

"I do like you Akira, Frost. I like _all_ of you." Black Frost huffed, rolling her eyes. "No I... I don't just like you Akira. I'm in love with you." Black Frost just stared down at him. John didn't know he was going to say he loved her until he had actually said it. With the words out though, he wasn't about to take them back. Unfortunately, Black Frost seemed unfazed by his declaration. She knelt down, frowning immensely and said,

"If you really love me Johnny, **kill for me**." 


	26. Rather Be the Hunter Than the Prey

When Black Frost asked John to kill someone for her, he wished that he could. He wished he could just take someones life, show Black Frost that he really meant what he said but Black Frost saw him hesitate and she had laughed. "It's hard being a hero. Isn't it?" With that, Black Frost had walked away and John let her.

That's how the three friends ended up back at their Mutant Underground Base without Akira. Everyone had looked up expectantly when they had walked in but when none of them spotted a white head of hair they all shifted around uncomfortably before heading off in different directions, knowing better than to bother Marcos, John or Lorna about what happened. Marcos and Lorna looked at each other as they slowly followed after John. They had gotten back into the club only after Akira had disappeared and John wouldn't say what had happened. They followed him all the way back to his room where they paused in the doorway, both unsure of what to say.

"John we'll find her again." Marcos said, his voice calm and sincere. John let out a strangled scream and slammed his fist into the table, breaking a large chunk of it off that scattered across the floor.

"John." Lorna said.

"I don't know what to do guys! I don't know how to help her. I don't know how to get Akira back." John interrupted. "It's not like she's even gone she's just.. Trapped in her own mind and I can't... I can't do _anything_."

"Nobody expects you too." Marcos said. John ran one hand through his hair and then down his face as he went to go sit on his bed. Marcos sighed. "Akira is still in there somewhere. Black Frost hasn't attacked anyone, hurt anyone. She's just lying low."

"Because she knows people are after her. That we're after her." Lorna pointed out. Marcos gave her a look and Lorna just shrugged. 

"My point is, we'll find her. We'll bring her back and... We'll use force if necessary." Marcos said. John sighed.

"How are we going to force Black Frost to do anything. She's more powerful than we know. If we push her she just might kill us." John said mournfully un-optimistic. 

"Well I guess we just have to hope that there's enough Akira inside of her that won't allow Black Frost to kill us." Lorna said. John said nothing. Marcos looked to his girlfriend and motioned for her to step out. When she did, Marcos followed after her.

"Everything's going to be fine John." Marcos said in one last effort to calm his friend down. John remained silent so Marcos shut his door and together, he and Lorna headed back down the hallway.

"Is everything really going to be fine?" Lorna asked, arching an eyebrow at him.

"God I hope so." Marcos said. 

* * *

John was standing in Akira's room, again. He liked coming in here and pretending that at any moment now, she was going to walk in and tell him he was being weird for just standing in the doorway. She would shove him playfully, plop down onto her makeshift bed and smile at him before patting the spot next to her. John wished that his imagination was reality.

"So, you just gonna stand in here creepily from now on?" A voice said behind John. He sighed and turned to look at Lorna.

"I'm not being creepy."

"You kind of are. You're standing there looking around wistfully." Lorna said, eyes scanning the room slowly.

"What else do you want me to do? We haven't heard any news about her in a couple of days. Sentinel Services could have captured her." John said.

"Doubt it." Lorna said. "She's strong and more importantly, Sentinel Services likes bragging. If they caught her, it would be on the news." John sighed. 

"You can't just mope around her John. I know you like Akira but... This isn't good for you." 

"I pushed her into letting Black Frost out Lorna. I pushed her. She wouldn't be out there right now doing god knows what if I hadn't told her to just let everything go." 

"Black Frost subdued Firestorm. I think she is the lesser of two evils." John laughed bitterly.

"I'm pretty sure Black Frost only did that because it was fun. You saw her face when she realized Devlin wasn't dead. She was... Disappointed." 

"Either way, she helped and she didn't actually kill him. I think that's a win." John said nothing. 

"What are you up here for Lorna?" John said. She must have been looking for him for a reason. It definitely wasn't so they could have a chat about the girl he loves. Lorna pursed her lips. 

"I have something to tell you okay but... Don't get mad." John eyed her funny.

"Don't get mad about what?" 

* * *

"I'm sorry you did what?" John demanded, slamming his open palms down on the table in front of him. Lorna shrugged.

"I had Jay make Akira's watch a tracking device. I can't believe I forgot honestly." John glared at Jay who squirmed in his seat. 

"Look man, she said you were okay with it. I just went with it. I do what's asked of me." He said and John sighed heavily. "And hey, at least you know where she is." Jay said, pointing to the red dot on Diana's computer screen. 

"Just... Leave, please Jay before I get the urge to punch someone in the face." Jay stood and left immediately and John went back to glaring at Lorna. 

"Hey, we thought it might be a good idea to know where she is once you dropped her off in Canada. It was also a communication device, a way to contact her if we needed help. It wasn't _just_ a tracking device." Lorna said.

"We don't use Jay's powers to track people who don't want to be found Lorna." John snapped at her. "We've discussed this before."

"Marcos agreed with me." Lorna said and Marcos sighed as John looked over at him.

"Look man, yeah I thought it might be a good idea but I never thought Lorna went through with it. I thought the three of us would discuss it but..." Marcos threw his hands up. "We didn't and I figured Lorna had dropped the subject."

"No, I just knew John wouldn't agree so I took the liberty." 

"As much as I love hearing you all argue around me." Diana said, "Akira's on the move." They all turned to look at the computer screen and the dot indeed was moving, fast. 

"What is she..." Before John could ask what was happening, Riley ran into the room, out of breath and clutching at his chest. 

"Black Frost is going to hurt someone." He said. "I just felt it. There's a 98.6% probability." Lorna, Marcos and John all exchanged looks. 

"Where is she going?" John demanded, already heading for the door. 

"Uhh... I think she's headed... This way." John tensed. Why would Black Frost come here?

* * *

John, Lorna and Marcos stood in anticipation. They were directly in Black Frost's path according to Riley and their constant updates from Diana but none of them had spotted her yet. Lorna shifted nervously as people around them rushed by, going about their daily lives. "Where is she?" Lorna whispered. "People are looking at us funny."

"Nobody is looking at us." Marcos said just as quietly, putting his arm around Lorna. She leaned into him and took a deep breath, both of them staring at John was standing rigidly, listening for Black Frost. 

"Well she better show up soon or John is going to loose..." John held up his hand and Lorna paused. 

"She's coming." Off in the distance, Lorna and Marcos could see her now. She was up over the cityscape, creating those ice bridges she loves sliding around on. It was much faster than walking in her opinion and less tiring than making herself fly using her powers. She needed to exert a lot of force to make that happen. All around, people began to look up and gawk at her. "This way." John said, taking off down a deserted alley. "Melt her bridge Marcos." Marcos frowned. He wasn't sure he would be able to do that, it hadn't really worked in the past, but he could try. John's hands lit up and he pointed the rays at the slightly unstable unstable bridge as it tried to connect itself to the surrounding buildings for support.

Black Frost didn't notice what was happening until she felt the heat beneath her feet and looked down, seeing Akira's old friends. She grinned and let the bridge melt underneath her before she slowly descended down into the alley, several feet from her friends. Everyone was staring at her grimly. The cracks on her face were longer now, John was noticing. Most of them went down her neck and over her shoulders as far as he could tell. What did it mean? What was happening to Akira? 

"Aw, a little reunion." Black Frost said with a laugh. 

"Akira, please come home." John said. Black Frost groaned.

"Ugh, this again? I told you Johnny boy, Akira's _not_ _here_ and I'm not going anywhere with you and your crew." 

"We just want to help you." Marcos said in a gentle tone.

"And I told Johnny that I don't need help. I'm _fine_." Black frost said with a scowl as dark clouds began to swirl around them. In not time at all sleet and snow would start to rain down on them. "None of you want to help me anyways. You just want to use me. Just like the government tried to use me." Snow began to fall fast and fierce and everyone was chilled instantly. Out in the street, they could hear people shouting, talking about finding cover. 

"We don't want to use you Akira." Lorna shouted. "We're your friends!"

"I have no friends." Black Frost sneered. With that, she took off farther into the alley, disappearing in the swirling snow. 

"Akira!" John shouted, racing after her. He could hear her, she wasn't that far ahead. John pressed forward, ignoring the shouts from his friends. When he spotted her again, she had her hands outstretched and there was a look of concentration on her face. Slowly, up out of the snow began to rise ominous figures. John cocked his head, confused as mouths with jagged teeth made of ice formed and then dark, hollow eyes. The snowmen shifted, getting up out of the snow and getting into a line. Suddenly, John was staring down half a dozen angry looking piles of snow. 

Black Frost grinned and marched her snowman army forward. When John reappeared, back peddling back into view, his friends were confused. "John?" Lorna called out. "What happened?" John didn't take his eyes off the creatures and slowly, his friends saw them too, emerging from the sleet.

"I.. I think she made an army of snowmen."

"She did what?" Marcos shouted

"I don't know! She made killer snowmen or something." John snapped at him as Marcos lit up his hands. 

"I swear to god if I die because of Killer Olaf's, I'm killing you John." Marcos aimed at the first snowman and they were surprised to see him begin to melt. Unfortunately, he also kept pressing forward. "Shit." Black Frost appeared then, glaring at them menacingly as her army continued to shuffle forward. John fell to his news.

"Akira stop! Please, you're not like this!" John begged. Black Frost just laughed at his pitiful display. He was down on his knees, begging for a girl he didn't even know. 

"You don't know me Johnny." The snowmen kept advancing.

"John!" Lorna shouted, as she moved one of the large metal dumpsters off the wall and slammed them into the row of snowmen. While it did the trick, Black Frost just flicked her wrist and made more appear, closer this time. 

"Akira please. Just come home with me." Black Frost's milk white eyes narrowed.

"I have no home." She said through her teeth, more of the skin around her eyes was cracking, exposing the ice in her veins. "And if I went back with you I would be _weak_ Johnny." Is that what she thought? Is that what she was so afraid of? Of being weak? Of not controlling her powers? Is that why she was insistent she remain as Black Frost? Black Frost did seem to have more of the control and strength Akira didn't have. 

"No, no you wouldn't." John said. "You would be happy Frost. You can be happy with us! Isn't that what you always wanted?" The snowmen stopped moving. Lorna and Marcos still had their hands up, ready to fight. Slowly, the snowmen disappeared, as well as all the piles of it around them. The wind stopped howling and Black Frost walked right up to John as the dark clouds began to dissipate. 

"Akira is _weak_ when she's with you. Being weak makes you a target. It makes you prey. I'd **rather be the hunter than the** _ **prey**_." Black Frost hissed and without missing a beat she used her powers to propel herself upwards onto the top of the building, just as the sun began to shine. 


	27. Hazard to Myself

The scene before John was familiar. Akira, Black Frost, sat at the bar, staring into some fruity cocktail with a mixture of contempt and hatred. John almost wondered if she was mad about the drink or about the fact that he had walked into the bar. It wasn't one of those sketchy one's in the downtown district. It was one of the nicer ones on the upper east side. The one's that had all the fancy, important business men. John noticed how many men were eying Frost. With her long white hair and all black clothing, John had to admit she looked pretty alluring and mysterious. He set his jaw and slowly approached her. 

"Do we have to do this again?" Black Frost asked as he sat next to her. "We both know I'll win."

"I'm not trying to beat you." John said. Frost said nothing.

"Can I get you something sir?" The bartender asked.

"No thanks." John said.

"He'll have a beer." Frost said at the same time. She glared the bartender down in a way that made him scurry off to go get a beer. "We're at a bar right? We should drink." Black Frost said, taking a sip from her cocktail. "We're celebrating after all."

"Celebrating?" John asked. 

"It's my birthday." John frowned. No it wasn't Akira told him her birthday was in the winter, not mid summer. "It's _my_ birthday, not Akira's. This is the day I emerged to protect her. The day I..." Even Frost couldn't say it. Even she couldn't admit what she had done to her family.

"Well, happy birthday." John said lightly. Black Frost scoffed.

"You're not actually happy."

"All I want is for you to be happy Frost, whether it's here with us or somewhere else." John watched her roll her eyes.

"You don't mean that." She muttered as a glass of frothy beer was placed next to John's elbow. 

"I do." John insisted. "Everyone deserves to be happy, even you." Black Frost said nothing. "You're not a bad person you know. You want to protect yourself. There's nothing wrong with that." John watched her roll her eyes.

"I want to protect Akira. She's... Pathetic." 

"She's _you_. You're _her_. You're _not_ two separate people Akira."

"We are." Black Frost insisted. "Look at me." John's eyes never left hers.

"I am looking at you." Black Frost scowled as a guy in business suit and a sleazy smile came up next to her on her left side. He was smiling at Black Frost, staring down her low cut shirt. John's blood boiled as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Say one thing to me and I'll slit your fucking throat." Frost said before he could speak. The guy visibly paled and when Frost glared at him with her milky eyes, he immediately backed up and turned tail, leaving the bar. "So we're one and the same, right Johnny? That's what you're telling me?" John pursed his lips.

"Yes." Black Frost straightened up, and started to chug the rest of her cocktail. A group of men nearby were given their drinks and John watched the forth spill over, a small trail of liquid making it's way down the bar. John looked back to Akira who set her empty glass down on the counter. John watched an icy cloud of breath escape her mouth. He clenched his jaw.

"Well, I guess I'm just a **hazard to myself** then." With that, Black Frost pressed down on the trail of liquid that had flowed towards her from the overfilled beers. Immediately it froze, racing to meet the glasses which shattered when they reached below freezing levels.

The men looked from the beers to Black Frost confused. But when a large jagged piece of ice materialized in her hand, everyone panicked. John ducked as she threw it. It hit a painting behind him, dead center in the figures eye. People were racing for the exits, shouting. Why did it always happen like this? Black Frost laughed as snow began to fall down around them. She slowly stood up from her bar seat as ice began to move in icy tendrils along the carpet, to the stools, up the bar and beyond.

"Akira, please. I don't want to fight you."

"It won't be much of a fight." Black Frost said, cocking her head with a wicked grin on her face. "We both know you'll let me win, that you'll let me kill you." John swallowed hard. "I told you you're Akira's only weakness. If I get rid of you, then she won't have to care about anything else in the world but herself." John dodged an icy blast from Black Frost, taking cover around the side of the bar. 

Running and crouching along the edge, of the bar, just out of sight, John stood up only long enough to check that Black Frost was coming after him. She was. She put her arm out again and nearly turned John into a popsicle but he tuck and rolled and escaped the jagged shards that arose around him. John had been afraid that Black Frost would try to kill him this time around. When they last fought, she had said he was Akira's weakness. Black Frost hate's weaknesses. That's what she saw her family as, a weakness. Akira loved them and when she killed them, it very nearly killed her. A tiny part of her wanted to survive though, wanted to keep going. That's what Black Frost was, Akira's survival instinct. 

John ran to the wall and pulled the fire alarm, alerting to everyone who hadn't been paying attention, that they should get out of the bar. "A lot of good that will do!" Frost shouted at him as he ran into the kitchen. As John closed the door behind him, he felt it grow cold underneath his fingertips. John shouted at the lingering staff that they had to leave just as Frost burst through the doors. She was smirking at John as he pulled one of the large fridges free from the wall and chucked it into Black Frost's path. She just laughed, icing it mid air so that there was now an ice sculptor of a fridge in the middle of the kitchen. John had only been trying to buy the people some time though and as the last of them ran out the back door, John followed and raced down the opposite end of the alleyway away from them and everyone else. 

When Black Frost emerged, she glanced down at the scared humans and then down at John who was backing himself up into a corner. _What an idiot_. She thought. "If you're trying to escape, it won't work!" Black Frost called out. John didn't respond. Frost just shook her head and with a scream of fury, she turned the whole alleyway in front of her to ice. Concrete and dirt froze and cracked and Black Frost raised her arms upward, sending large jagged pieces up. She was breaking up the ground underneath John's feet. 

Before the ice touched him though, he jumped at the last moment and caught the rung of a fire escape. Black Frost smirked a little and stalked forward as John jumped down onto the shards, trying not to accidentally impale himself. "You can't run forever. I will kill you." Frost said. John shivered from the cold. "In fact, you'll beg me for it." Black Frost reached out and John cried out in pain. It felt like she was freezing the blood in his veins, the water in his body. She was going to freeze him to death from the inside out.

"Frost please." John said, teeth chattering.

"That doesn't sound like begging." Black Frost said. She was standing over him now. His lips were blue. John grit his teeth.

"If you're so evil then kill me!" John said, his whole body was shaking from the cold. His breath made a cloud of visible air in front of him. "Kill me Akira! Because that's the only way you're going to stop me. I will _always_ look for you and I will _always_ find you." Black Frost laughed. 

"If that's what you want Johnny boy." John braced himself for the cold, braced himself for the ice. Akira screamed but John didn't feel anything. He opened his eyes. a large jagged icicle was just inches from his heart. Akira looked tormented, completely at war with herself.

"I know you feel like love is a weakness. You loved your family and you hurt them but that's not your fault." John said.

"Shut up." Black Frost shouted at him.

" _We_ can be your new family, the Mutant Underground! I can be your family."

"I don't need you. I don't need anyone but myself." Black Frost shouted at him. John could feel the tightness in his chest dissipating. Was Akira breaking through? Clearing out the ice from inside his heart and her own.

"Maybe you don't need us but I _need_ you Akira. I want to make you happy. I want you to be happy with me, please." John begged. John was amazed to see tears falling down Akira's cheeks. When Akira closed her eyes and opened them back up again, they were no longer a milky white. John could see her irises again. they were an ice cold blue.

When Akira blinked again, her eyes returned to a warm brown. The icicle in her hand melted away, as did the rest of the ice around them, including the ice inside John's own body. He finally felt like he could breathe again. Akira collapsed to her knees as John choked and tried to remember how to breathe properly. "John." she breathed out. "I'm so sorry." Akira broke down crying. John moved toward Akira and wrapped her up into a hug. Akira had almost forgotten how warm he was.

"Come on Akira, we need to get out of her." He murmured, kissing her forehead. "You're coming home with me. I'm not taking no for an answer." Akira just nodded, letting John pull her back to her feet. 

"We can't go that way." Akira said as John tried to pull her towards the exit of the alley. "We have to go up." Akira took a deep breath and wiped at her tears. She pointed her hands, palms down at the ground and created an ice shelf underneath their feet. John stumbled as they shot upwards, Akira creating her own icy elevator to the roof. As they stepped onto the flat surface, Akira made the ice disappear. John smiled at the control she exerted over her powers. "Let's go home." Akira said.

"Home." John agreed. 


	28. New Mutants

_Several Months Later_

Akira squirmed in John's arms. He was so warm and usually she liked it but right now she needed some room to breath a little better. "John." Akira whined. "Do you want me to melt?" She said. John smiled a little and kissed her cheek.

"I'm never letting you go ever again." John said softly, his forehead pressed up against Akira's.

"Okay but if you don't let me go right now, I'll ice you. I'm too warm." John smiled.

"Just create your little blizzard. I'll be fine." Akira gave him a look but since it looked like John was serious, she sighed and began to make it snow lightly around them. John shivered at the icy chill and Akira made a face at him.

"Let me get my body temperature back to normal John. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her temple. 

"Yeah well... You worry me." He said, finally letting go of her and taking several steps back. She smiled at him and increased the intensity of her mini blizzard. John watched how easily she was able to conjure it and smiled. Akira's control over her powers had increased exponentially and ever since their fight out in the alley, Black Frost hadn't made a reappearance. There had been instances of concern, like when Akira started to talk to John about her parents and her life but the more she talked about it, the less scary it all seemed for Akira. It still hurt, a lot, and she still felt a heavy amount of guilt but at least it was a little bearable now. That was progress. Akira smiled over at John as her blizzard dissipated. She held her hand out to him and they continued to walk around the perimeter of the building. They were technically on patrol right now, not going on a nice walk. 

"Did you see the news report about you today?" John asked lightly. Akira nodded.

"Half a million dollars to anyone with credible information of my whereabouts." John smiled.

"That's the highest number any of us have ever gotten." Akira laughed.

"Should I be happy that I'm more dangerous than all of you?" John shrugged and Akira shook her head. "All it really does it worry me. I have a really big target on my back John. I don't think it's safe for me to head out with you and the others anymore." John paused and glanced at Akira's back.

"I don't see a target." She punched him in the arm. "Besides. You wear that wig when we go out. Nobody recognizes you. We're hiding in plain sight." 

"That wig itches."

"Is this you just trying to get out of our date next Saturday."

"The wig _really_ itches John." He started to laugh. 

"We can stay in and watch a movie if you want then." Akira kissed his cheek. "But we can't stay cooped up in here forever. It's suffocating."

"We go out." Akira argued.

"Going out and helping people isn't the same thing as going out just for the hell of it." John was right of course. Mostly when Akira and John left the premises now, it was so they could pick up Mutants in need of a hiding place or anybody who had been targeted by Sentinel Services. 

"Well, it's still nice." Akira said. John squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, it is." 

* * *

"She broke out of jail? How?" Lorna asked as Diana scanned the police reports. 

"They knew she was a Mutant but they didn't know she was a mutant with teleportation abilities." Diana replied.

"Sweet, let's go find her." Akira said with a smile. "Teleportation would come in handy. We always have to make quick exits." Marcos nodded in agreement. 

"What was her name again?"

"Clarice Fong. She's been in the system for a while. She was an orphan in several different foster homes before she ran away. She pops up every now and then when she gets caught stealing." Diana typed away at her computer. "She was last seen about five miles away from the jail. She apparently appeared out of a purple glowing portal."

"I should be able to track her, if she's not portal jumping all over the city that is." John said.

"Well let's go find her then."

* * *

What the friends find is a lot more than just a portal hoping Mutant though but a whole hoard of Sentinel Service Agents. John, Marco, Lorna and Akira managed to track Clarice to an abandoned building just as it started to pour rain outside. "She's this way." John said, pushing his hair back across his face. Clarice had barricaded the door though, preventing John from simply kicking it off it's hinges. 

"We're not trying to scare her anyways." Akira said, shaking her head at her boyfriend. "Lorna is anything blocking the door metal?" Lorna nodded and put her hand out. 

"Several things are." Akira assumed that Lorna was pushing them back with her powers as she went over and put ice all over the hinges of the door. 

"Let's hurry this up please. That barricade Akira put up is strong but... I don't want to stick around longer than necessary." Marcos said. He could already hear people hacking away at the ice covering the doors behind them. John pulled one of the doors off it's hinges, setting it down lightly against the wall. Inside the room, pressed against the back wall was a girl with wild green eyes, and purple streaked hair.

"Who the hell are you guys?" Clarice demanded. They were clearly Mutants, like her. Nobody else would be able to lift a door off it's hinges like that or move metal objects that were inside a different room.

"The Mutant Underground." John said, stepping into the room.

"We're here to help you." Akira stepped in after him.

"So do you think you can teleport us out of here or are we going to have to fight our way out?" Akira asked. "No pressure." Clarice cocked her head at the white haired girl.

"You're Akira Lim. Everyone's looking for you." Akira shrugged.

"You gonna turn me in?" Clarice snorted.

"No. It was badass watching another asian girl kick ass." Clarice paused. "Let's leave. Where are we trying to go?" 

"Depends." Lorna asked as she and Marcos stepped into the room, Lorna re-barricading the door with every metal object in the room. "How does your teleporting work?"

"If you have a picture of the place we're trying to get to, I might be able to get us there." Clarice said. John shrugged, pulled out his phone and quickly looked up a google map view of the abandoned building they had taken up residence in. Clarice took his phone and slowly scanned over it. She nodded slowly. 

"Alright, let's do this." Clarice handed John his phone and then put her hands together, purple sparks began to swirl in between them and she slowly pulled her arms outward, expanding the circle until it was nearly the full length of her body. The four friends stared in wonder at the scene before them. It was the bank, as it looked at night. Clarice had opened up the portal right on the dirt road leading up to the place. "Is this it?" Clarice demanded.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Then go! I can't maintain it for too long." Akira jumped through the portal head first, feeling a weird rush as she did at jumping from one abandoned building to another. She glanced back as John came through after her and then Lorna and Marcos. Clarice jumped through last, coming out the opposite end of the portal that quickly closed behind her just as they heard the Sentinel Service Agents burst through the door. 

"That... Was super cool." Akira said with a grin. Clarice nodded and stumbled a little.

"Yeah, cool but tiring. I've made so many jumps in the past couple of hours that..." Clarice yawned and Akira rushed forward to stop her from falling. "It takes a lot out of me." Clarice said softly. 

"Well, you're safe now. We can take you to the base, make up a bed for you." Clarice yawned again.

"Sounds nice." She said before passing out cold in Akira's arms. Akira grinned.

"I like her." John snickered and came towards the two girls. He gently picked up Clarice and together, the five of them headed inside. 

John and Akira got Clarice settled in a quiet part of the building. Clarice snuggled against her cot, still fast asleep and looking really peaceful. "I hope she'll stay." Akira said to John as they quietly left the room, leaving her to herself. 

"Yeah, I do too. Looks like she needs some help with her powers. She overtaxes herself when she uses them." Akira hit his arm.

"That's not why I want her to stay. She seems cool and she's also asian. Sounds like best friend material to me."

"What? I'm not your best friend?" John asked.

"Nope." John smirked. 

"Well, one things for sure." John said as they emerged out into the large common room where the rest of the Mutant Underground gathers to hangout, eat and talk to one another. "If we get anymore **new mutants** , we're going to have to find a bigger place to hide." Akira smiled.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey ya'll! Hope that prologue excites you! The girl I want you to be thinking of as Akira Lim is Li BingBing. She's a Chinese actress that has recently done a couple of american films actually. The most recent being The Meg. That shark movie you know? Anyways, I thought she was really pretty and I remembered her from the movie White Haired Witch so I thought she'd be a good person for you all to visualize. 
> 
> She is actually a lot older than I anticipated, since she looks really young in like all of her photos. So Akira Lim is going actually 23. She was 6 when she froze over Japan, and 13 during the incident in China.
> 
> So, there you have it! She is my OC. As for the rest of the cast, if any of you watch Gifted or don't watch the Gifted, none of the other characters from that TV series will be in this story. It's not following the TV plot at all though I do have some ideas for a sequel centered around S1 of Gifted....
> 
> The only 3 exceptions to this are Lorna (Polaris), Marcos (Eclipse), John (Thunderbird). They're three of my favorite characters and they're the one's who run the Mutant Underground and they're important to me and I love them. Blink is also important to me but... She's John's actual love interest in the show sooooooooo. She's not in this (yet) haha.


End file.
